Watch: Frostbit Boy Roars into Town ‘Superfast’ to Promote Fibre Broadband

Ruairí - who hails from Park in Co. Derry - was recently unveiled as the new face of Superfast NI and is starring in an ad campaign to help raise awareness of the benefits of superfast broadband. During his visit to the Walled City, Ruairí met with members of the public to tell them more about the campaign and to encourage all those who can avail of superfast broadband to upgrade to the service. Ruairí also used the opportunity to challenge people to a Superfast Tongue Twister Challenge!

Superfast NI is responsible for raising awareness of Northern Ireland’s next generation fibre broadband network, which is providing a faster and more reliable service than ever before. Superfast NI represents all communication providers and is managed by BT, who is leading this latest campaign.

When asked about his role, Ruairí McSorley said: “Sure it is well known that you won’t be able to find a speedier talker than me so I am only delighted to be back in my own neck of the woods, helping to spread the word and telling all the good people of Co. Londonderry all about superfast fibre broadband.

Ruairí continued: “And sure why not? Sure it is faster than standard broadband so there’s some craic and no fightin’ when all of us is on the oul internet at the same time – sure she’s Superfast! And sure the best part of it is that most people can get fibre broadband already, sure we can even get it down home in Park! All they have to do is pop onto www.nibroadband.com and double check to be sure to be sure it is available in their area.”

Explaining why Ruairí was the perfect choice for the campaign Frank McManus, head of wholesale sales and services at BT said, “Ruairí is a social media phenomenon, having amassed millions of views on You Tube with his hilarious fast-talking video. He is the perfect example of the power of the internet and how it can transform lives.

“This is what our campaign is all about- showcasing the amazing benefits of superfast internet access and encouraging all those who can avail of it to make use of it and experience for themselves the difference it makes, be it at home, school, at work or on the move.

“Derry-Londonderry was the first city in the UK to have all its street cabinets fibre-enabled and we’re delighted to have been able to get out and about to help spread the message about superfast fibre broadband.”

Superfast fibre broadband uses the latest fibre optic technology (known as fibre to the cabinet, or FTTC) to greatly increase broadband speeds by replacing a section of the copper network with superfast fibre optic cable. The result is faster download speeds of up to 80Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 20Mbps, the equivalent of downloading a feature length HD movie in approximately two minutes.

Northern Ireland’s fibre broadband network is open access, meaning that other internet service providers can use the network to provide competitive and innovative communication services to their customers. Currently over 30 internet service providers use the network, offering great choice to consumers and businesses. Full details on availability, benefits and a list of providers can be found on the dedicated Superfast NI website at www.nibroadband.com.