BT bringing fibre broadband to 89% of Northern Irish lines

Nine in ten phone lines in Northern Ireland will be hooked up to a fibre optic broadband street cabinet by March 2012, BT has promised.

Graham Sutherland, chief executive of BT Northern Ireland, revealed the telecoms giant is planning to make the technology available to 89 per cent of all lines by this time - a development he described as "exceptional progress".

He said the work is "propelling Northern Ireland ahead of major European countries and providing more and more consumers and businesses in rural and urban areas with access to high-speed broadband".

BT has invested almost £30 million in the country's Next Generation Broadband Project, while £16.5 million of funding has come from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

Last week, the company announced its results for the first quarter of its 2011-12 financial year, which showed it attracted 71,000 more customers to its BT Infinity fibre optic broadband service during the three-month period.