Up to £67 million to be invested towards improving internet speeds across the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area.

With the Government launching a nationwide Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), the £67m investment is being made in addition to the £200m allocated to the Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme.

Overall, the scheme will future-proof full fibre connections for both businesses and residential communities.

The Great Britain-wide GBVS pilot was launched in late 2017 and awarded vouchers worth up to £3,000 for SME businesses and £500 for a resident to help subsidise the installation cost of gigabit-capable infrastructure. With nearly 1,000 vouchers snapped up so far, the scheme will run until March 2021.

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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Roisin Mulgrew said: "Following a recent district wide survey of broadband hotspots and areas without reliable broadband, the Council is aware of the connection and line capacity problems limiting some residents and local businesses. We sincerely hope that the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme will play a significant part in addressing many of these problems."

"The scheme is designed to be led by the demand of local residents and businesses and as such, its success depends on businesses and communities working together and coming forward, identifying their needs and applying for a Gigabit voucher."

(LM/MH)