Fibrus fuels Northern Ireland with a £431 million economic contribution

Dominic Kearns, CEO and founder of Fibrus, discusses the findings of a new economic and social impact report by Grant Thornton.

When Fibrus was founded five years ago, we set out to revolutionise broadband services for communities, homes, and businesses. For years, rural families and businesses across Northern Ireland were promised better – and we are proud to be the changemakers who turned that promise into reality.

Anecdotally, through feedback from employees, customers, politicians, policymakers and community groups, we know that Fibrus has made a huge impact on Northern Ireland. The success of Project Stratum has resulted in Northern Ireland now boasting a 94 per cent connectivity rate, significantly ahead of other UK nations and regions, making the province a trailblazer for digital connectivity and ensuring a prosperous future for the Northern Ireland workforce.

But we wanted to understand just how far reaching and impactful our work here since 2020 has been. We commissioned leading economists from Grant Thornton to help us and through the newly released Fibrus: Economic Impact Report, they have delivered. The report, launched in May 2025 outlines the real-world difference Project Stratum and Fibrus have made to rural communities since our inception.

The report evaluates the economic impact of Fibrus’ footprint in Northern Ireland and highlights the significant progress we have made in bridging the digital divide and levelling up opportunities for rural communities. It proves that we are not just about faster internet speeds – we are driving economic growth, fostering connected communities, and creating competition to ensure households get value for money and better customer service.

• Fibrus, which currently employs 435 people, has generated £431 million in total expenditure since its inception in 2020. Of that, £74 million comes directly from company operations, including turnover, wages, and job creation.

• Fibrus has also contributed an additional £271 million via our supply chain spend, with a further £86 million driven by the indirect local spending of its employees. This means that we are injecting money back into our regional economies through everyday purchases at supermarkets, cafés, petrol stations, restaurants, and retail outlets.

• The economic and social impact report also reveals potential productivity gains of over £50 million per annum – this represents a recurring benefit felt through the region’s rural towns and communities as a result of Project Stratum.

• Beyond economic gains, the Grant Thornton report also highlights the strong social impact of Fibrus’ community initiatives. Communities are at the heart of everything we do at Fibrus. From its inception, Fibrus has been committed to building, fostering, and supporting connected communities. This commitment is reflected in our contribution to community initiatives across Northern Ireland. Since 2020, the company has donated more than £411,000 to charitable causes and grassroots programmes, supporting local organisations and enhancing community resilience through its dedicated funding programmes.
What the report confirms is that digital infrastructure improvement has been crucial for the Northern Ireland economy. Digital connectivity enables the development of smart cities and facilitates the region’s transition to a knowledge-based economy. Our digital connectivity in Northern Ireland has improved in recent years, as demonstrated by the fact that internet access in Northern Ireland has increased from 82 per cent of households in 2015/16 to 91 per cent in 2021/22 and now sitting at an enviable 94 per cent.

However, we recognise that challenges persist, including the ‘digital divide’ – the gap in access to and use of information and communication technologies between people, households, businesses, and regions. While Fibrus has been a key player in driving the improvement of Northern Ireland’s digital infrastructure, there unfortunately remains some far-reaching locations where the ‘digital divide’ is still felt.
But we are just getting started and we have every intention of doing what we can to drive change in those left behind locations. As the Deloitte fastest-growing tech company in Northern Ireland and the second fastest across all of Ireland, we are very much still leading the charge. We are on track to reach our ambitious target of 500,000 connectable premises in the next few years, while building on our strong momentum to grow our customer base to 200,000.

We are confident that the impact Fibrus is making to the Northern Ireland economy and rural communities province-wide will only grow in the years to come as we continue to deliver positive changes to our rural communities, drive economic growth, and bridge the ‘digital divide’ in Northern Ireland.

W: www.fibrus.com/fibrus-economic-and-social-impact-report-2025/#