Portadown man Peter celebrates 48 years with company

Peter joined Openreach in 1972, back when the business was known as ‘the Post Office Telecommunications’, and at the age of 19 he began his career as a Trainee Technician Improver within the External Construction Department located in Portadown.

Peter stayed in Portadown but quickly moved up the ranks progressing from Technician to Senior Technician in 1988 and then onto Field Manager in 1996. It was in this role that Peter was responsible for managing the provisions of cabinet infrastructure and communications when former US President, Bill Clinton visited Northern Ireland – something he considers a real personal achievement.

He said: “I’ve witnessed the business grow from the early days when it was operating as the Post Office Telecommunications to now as Openreach, a company that is leading Northern Ireland’s digital revolution.

“The name isn’t the only thing that’s changed over the years, the technology that has developed over my career is incredible.

“When I joined, we worked with ‘Strowger-based equipment’, which was a mechanical system, and installing telephone lines was the new big thing. Now we’re rolling out the latest in Full Fibre broadband technology,” he said.