Almost 32,000 farms able to avail of a high-speed fibre connection through NBI™ Network with over 12,000 farms connected

National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has announced that more than 12,000 farms have now been connected to high-speed fibre broadband through its rollout under the National Broadband Plan (NBP). The number of farms that have connected to NBI’s high-speed fibre network has more than doubled in the last 12 months with an additional 6,000 farms connected in that time. NBI has passed almost 32,000 farms, with the rollout moving on schedule and on budget. 

Over 65,000 farms will be connected to high-speed fibre broadband on National Broadband Ireland’s fibre broadband network. National Broadband Ireland recently announced it has passed over 50 percent of the premises included in its rollout with 289,438 homes, farms and businesses across the country now able to access high-speed fibre broadband. Take-up of broadband on the NBI™ Network continues to be strong with 95,526 premises connected across the country.

Peter Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, said: “We are delighted to see the strong take-up of high-speed fibre broadband in the farming community, with farm connections to the NBI™ Network doubling in the last year. Almost 32,000 farms now have access to a high-speed, reliable internet connection on our network and the level of take-up has surpassed all expectations.

“Access to high-speed fibre broadband is no longer something that’s nice to have for farms; it is an essential utility that is critical for their efficiency, sustainability and profitability. We can see that with the unprecedented rate that farmers are connecting to our network.

“Beyond the practical benefits, high-speed broadband is bridging the digital divide for rural communities. Farm families can now enjoy the same entertainment, work-from-home opportunities, and educational resources as their urban counterparts.

“We’d encourage farmers and everyone living in rural Ireland to visit the NBI website and check their Eircode to see if they can connect today.”

As a wholesale network operator, NBI does not sell fibre broadband directly to end users, rather it enables services from a range of broadband providers or Retail Service Providers (RSPs). As a wholesale provider, NBI will make the new Fibre-to-the-Home network available to all RSPs operating in the Intervention Area.  

The National Broadband Ireland website is regularly updated to show estimated connection dates. Signing up to the NBI email notifications at /eoi/ is the easiest way to get the most up to date status of premises during the rollout and when premises will be ready for order.

Key rollout stats

  • There are 65,247 farms included in NBI’s rollout under the National Broadband Plan.
  • The number of farms passed to date is 31,862. Of these, 12,151 have connected to a high-speed fibre connection on the NBI™ Network.
  • The overall number of premises passed and which can connect to NBI’s fibre network is 289,438.
  • Over 95,526 premises are connected high-speed broadband on the NBI network.
  • Take-up rates are exceeding 50% in the Deployment Areas that were released first. 
  • NBI is passing 10,000 new homes and businesses with high-speed fibre broadband every month which leaves the project well placed to completed on time.  

*Data correct as of 16/09/2024