Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has announced a further £88,000 for technology trials, to improve broadband services in rural areas across the country.

The financial support, from the £1.9million Broadband Fund, has been awarded to two companies, H2O Ireland Limited and North West Electronics. This latest funding brings the total investments under the Fund to £639,000.

The Broadband Fund is co-financed under the European Regional Development Fund Sustainable Competitiveness Programme 2007-2013. It has a specific rural focus and offers practical financial support to organisations undertaking broadband technology trials in Northern Ireland or offering solutions for the delivery of high speed, reliable broadband services.

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"The £1.9million Broadband Fund demonstrates my Department’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that Northern Ireland’s economy is supported by world class telecommunications services," said Minister Foster.

"The fund allows local businesses to demonstrate the range of technologies that will prove critical to enabling rural growth and providing access to commercial, educational and social services for rural domestic broadband users."

Ms Foster added: "These investments under the Broadband Fund are just the latest made by my Department, with the €30million Project Kelvin nearing completion and work now underway on the £48million next generation broadband project I recently announced."

(NS/GK)