Through its Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, BT has committed itself to promote digital inclusion. To provide greater access to communications technology, to encourage communication and its use for social and economic benefit and to help groups and individuals use technology.
The opportunity for broadband would allow NI citizens to fully benefit from internet access. However, the roll out of broadband across NI was very costly and could only be justified to BT shareholders when evidence could be provided that there would be sufficient demand to warrant investment.
To ascertain demand a registration scheme was put in place. When a set number of people in an exchange area registered their interest in securing broadband BT would make the investment to provide the service. Although the financial investment made economic sense in areas which were densely populated, it proved to be very challenging in the more remote rural areas of Northern Ireland.
Together BT set out a clear and very bold vision - Northern Ireland would become the first area in the UK and one of the first in the world where all of our citizens irrespective of where they lived and worked could avail of broadband service.
Following the DETI and EU Building Sustainable Prosperity award coupled with substantial investment from BT the journey commenced in March 2004 to ensure 100% availability of broadband by enabling all 191 exchanges. This was achieved in record time by 31st December 2005. On the 10th of February 2005 BT switched on the last 9 exchanges.
Broadband is recognised as a technology that can change lives. Not of itself but because of the uses people can make of it. BT’s digital inclusion activities have been designed to help people understand the benefits of broadband for themselves and then to use it to enrich their lives and communities. Through BT support the Young Farmer’s Clubs of Ulster have produced an interactive website to help manage relations between clubs and its members.
The BT Community Connections programme has provided internet ready PCs to numerous local groups and BT support of the Information Age project has enabled Help the Aged to introduce many older people to the opportunities created by the internet.
