Fibrus Report Reveals Bright Future for Rural Communities

From robot farm hands to 3D tour guides and artificial lakes, Applied Futurist predicts what the future holds for Northern Ireland’s rural communities

Northern Ireland’s leading Full Fibre broadband provider, Fibrus, has today released a report which challenges long-held assumptions about rural decline and highlights the extraordinary potential of our rural communities as engines of growth.

The Future of Rural report, commissioned by Fibrus and authored by Applied Futurist, Tom Cheesewright, looks ahead to 2050 and uses scenario planning and the latest data projections to explore how rural areas can lead the way in economic, environmental, and social transformation.

Contrary to commonly held misconceptions, today’s rural communities are not shrinking, with higher employment rates than urban areas and nearly a quarter of all UK businesses already headquartered in rural locations. Fast-forward 25 years and Fibrus’ report outlines three predictions for how the UK’s rural areas might look in 2050:

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0. The Remote Revolution: While 2025 has seen reports of bosses demanding workers back to the office, the Future of Rural report identifies this as a temporary blip. By 2050, workers will have pushed for much greater flexibility to WFH. Advances in metaverse digital infrastructure, AI and modern management techniques coupled with ubiquitous full fibre broadband will enable the shift back to remote working and a resurgence of rural lifestyles as the disadvantages of distance continue to diminish.
1. High Tech Harvest: By 2050, our countrysides could become ‘Silicon Valleys’, driven by a wave of new start-ups and clusters, spinning out of technology-focused agricultural educational institutions at the intersection of bioscience, robotics, energy and agriculture. Farming will become increasingly high-tech, with the use of human-scale androids, laser weeders and robot farm assistants piloted by smart glasses.
2. Destination UK: As climate change alters global tourism patterns, Northern Ireland’s tourism industry continues to grow. Holidays become more accessible, as AI powered translators and 3D avatar tour guides reshape tourist experiences, and artificial lakes and inland beaches bring quintessential beach holidays right to your doorstep.

Located just outside of Cookstown, a family-run dairy farm is already taking advantage of the technology of tomorrow for their farming. At Littlebridge Farm, connectivity is vital to everyday operations, where robotics are already in use to make milking and a range of additional processes more efficient. 

The report concludes that with targeted investment, particularly in connectivity and infrastructure, rural communities can act as an engine of growth for our future, helping to address some of our biggest challenges from aging populations to climate resilience.

Tom Cheesewright, author, said: “Many would be surprised at the extent to which rural communities are already engines of growth. Even more would be surprised at their potential by 2050. With this report, we hope to inform and inspire, increasing the chance of these positive futures becoming reality.”

Fibrus, established in 2019, is a vocal advocate of rural community growth. The company recently completed Project Stratum, the largest telecoms infrastructural project ever seen in Northern Ireland. The £200million infrastructure project backed by the Department for the Economy, Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the UK Government, was delivered on time and within budget this summer. Now, the region boasts an impressive 95% connectivity compared to a UK average of 86%, changing rural lives across Northern Ireland.

More recently, the company has been lobbying Ofcom to review the cost to network providers for expanding networks in rural areas – something which would help bring much needed infrastructure to areas that remain without.

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Dominic Kearns, CEO and Co-Founder, Fibrus, said: “At Fibrus, we set out to transform connectivity in rural areas, bringing them out of the digital dark ages and into a future of high-speed, reliable broadband. This report reinforces our commitment to those communities, highlighting their immense potential and the vital role they play in the UK’s growth.”

“Too often, urban centres dominates when it comes to policy, pounds and progress, yet we have seen first-hand the level of entrepreneurship and agricultural best practice that is powering growth from a grassroots level through improved digital access. We will not stop championing rural communities and driving progress until every home and business is truly connected”

Caleb Howard, Owner of Littlebridge Farm, said: “We work with robotics on a daily basis, so we need a fast flow of broadband to keep things moving. We’ve got a robotic milking machine, and several other devices that utilise robotics to make processes more efficient around the farm. Technology on the farm isn't going to slow down. As time moves on, so does the way in which we do things here, with new technology and robotics set to completely transform farming as we know it in the coming years.  As we integrate further technologies into our operations, having fast reliable broadband is a complete non-negotiable for us. It has transformed how we operate, and it will continue to play a vital role in our farm and business in the future”

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