National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company rolling out the National Broadband Plan (NBP) today (Friday) announced that over 2,300 homes, farms and business in Youghal are now ready to connect to high-speed fibre to gain minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second, as one local woman in Curraghboy described the service as ‘a godsend’.

Peter Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, said: “As the NBI rollout progresses across Cork, connections to high-speed broadband are becoming available to rural towns and villages around the county. Over 2,300 homes, farms and business in and around Youghal are now ready to connect alongside over 9,000 in Midleton and almost 5,000 in Carrigaline.

“The significant progress we are making means that more and more customers are experiencing the transformational power of minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second whether you are a family needing to work, study and access entertainment online all at the same time, or a business owner wanting to expand.

“Overall NBI, will be making a €314 million investment in Cork and serving over 82,000 premises. 

I encourage Cork residents to visit nbi.ie and check their Eircode to find out if they are ready to connect and sign up for updates.”

Local Youghal woman, Celia Lyons, who is connected to the NBI network through broadband provider, MTS, said: “We’ve been living in our home in Curraghboy, Youghal for 40 years and never had any possibility of a decent broadband connection. We had dial-up internet and struggled with dongles for years and years, so I was delighted to be able to sign up with MTS to connect to the NBI network. 

“It’s opened so many doors and has given a real boost to the community. Now I can take online courses which was never possible before. There are so many amazing opportunities to learn that are largely computer-based, that I could never benefit from until now. 

“Living in the countryside, I was surprised at how fast and reliable the high-speed fibre broadband really is. It’s been a godsend and a lifesaving service to our local area. We’re very cut off from nearby towns and I don’t drive, so I heavily rely on broadband connection to stay in the loop. I couldn’t be happier with the service, everything streams seamlessly.”

Kaylee Cronin, Service Delivery Manager of MTS, the Youghal-based broadband provider, said: “We are thrilled to be able to connect customers like Celia through our partnership with NBI. From homes to businesses to farms, even the most remote areas can benefit from the freedom of unlimited broadband.

“As a locally owned and operated Internet Service Provider, we believe in community, and pride ourselves on bringing reliable broadband at a reasonable price to places like rural east Cork.”

*Data correct as of 07.07.2023

Photo caption: Pictured Ross Shone, Communications Executive at National Broadband Ireland, Celia Lyons, broadband customer, and Kaylee Cronin, Service Delivery Manager at MTS. Photo credit: Matt Brooker