According to the latest reports, 99% of residents in Northern Ireland should be able to access superfast broadband this year. The Ofcom Spring Connected Nations update states that this milestone is a result of both commercial efforts as well as several government-funded projects. Project Stratum is one particularly worth mentioning, as it aims to connect both homes and businesses to gigabit services.

The Rollout of Superfast Broadband in Northern Ireland

By the end of 2025, over 99% of people in Northern Ireland should be able to access speeds of 30Mbps or higher. Reports also state that 95% of homes have access to gigabit-capable connections, which are greater than 1000 Mbps. This is the highest percentage across UK nations. Of course, government-funded projects, including Project Stratum and Project Gigabit, have had a huge part to play here, as they have helped to bring faster broadband to both underserved and rural areas. Commercial rollouts often miss areas like this and bring down the overall number of people who can access faster speeds. Commercial rollouts have helped to extend full fibre networks across the region as well, with Northern Ireland in particular making substantial progress in the overall availability of broadband. As time goes on, countries are putting a big focus on broadband coverage, especially with superfast variants. A lot of this comes down to the fact that better broadband translates to smoother online experiences. Both Amazon Prime and Netflix recommend speeds of at least 25 Mbps for streaming 4K, to ensure instant playback, stable viewing, and clear visuals. 

With that said, it's not just television that stands to benefit from the superfast broadband rollout.

What Superfast Broadband Means for Residents of Northern Ireland

Superfast broadband might provide better viewing quality and less loading when streaming movies, but at the same time, it also has a big impact on gaming. Gaming isn’t just about download speeds. Ping rates are greatly impacted by your internet speeds, and when using superfast broadband, ping rates usually drop to less than 20ms, when compared to 50ms on a standard connection. This can translate to fewer lag spikes, faster updates, and smoother cloud gaming.

For those who stream live games, the difference is even more notable. Live casinos in particular offer games like roulette, poker, blackjack, and more, with the user being connected to a real dealer in a real studio setting. Games like this put a big focus on replicating the live experience, and although a superfast connection isn’t required to play, it does mean you can get more genuine real-time interactions. You can also expect consistency across your desktop and mobile device, as you have the bandwidth required to maintain it.

Households that have multiple people who use the internet at the same time, or people who often find themselves taking part in Zoom calls, will find the superfast broadband rollout particularly impactful, as it not only helps to support those who work from home but also those who have more demanding internet requirements.