Over 3,300 Westmeath homes, businesses and farms near Mullingar are ready to connect to fibre broadband on NBI network™ 
Almost 12,000 premises in Co Westmeath can avail of a high-speed connection today 

 National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company delivering the new future-proofed, high-speed Fibre-to-the-Home network under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) on behalf of the Government, has announced that take-up rates for fibre broadband in its Mullingar deployment area are among the highest in Ireland. The rollout in the area includes the rural surrounds and townlands of Enniscoffey, Mullingar and Portloman. 

Across Co Westmeath, 45% of premises passed by the NBI network™ are already connected, well ahead of the national average of 35%. In the Mullingar area, take-up rates approach 60%, making it one of the best-performing areas in the country for fibre adoption.

There are 3,306 Westmeath premises in the Mullingar deployment area that can join the NBI network™. National Broadband Ireland is calling on people living nearby to visit nbi.ie and enter their Eircode to see if they are ready to connect. 

Overall, 12,000 premises in Co Westmeath are included in the State’s Intervention Area, which will see NBI deliver minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to homes, businesses, farms, and schools. As the biggest investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification, Co Westmeath will receive €46m of Government investment under the National Broadband Plan. 

Works have already been completed in other parts of Westmeath, including the rural surrounds of Delvin and Lismacaffrey. There is a total of 11,971 premises that can now pre-order or order high-speed, reliable broadband across the county with 5,334 connections made so far.

TJ Malone, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, said: “We are delighted to see such a strong demand for fibre broadband in the Mullingar area, where take-up rates are among the highest in Ireland. This reflects the growing appetite for fast, reliable connectivity as more people experience the benefits of fibre broadband in their daily lives.

“Fibre broadband is the backbone of Ireland’s digital future and can support everything from homeworking and online learning to digital entrepreneurship. We’re continuing to make strong progress right across the Westmeath, connecting more homes and businesses to high-speed broadband every month.

“Overall, almost 12,000homes, businesses and farms in Co Westmeath can now order a high-speed fibre connection to the NBI network™. This includes the rural surrounds of Delvin and Lismacaffrey. We are encouraging Westmeath residents to visit the NBI website to check their Eircode and sign up for updates.” 

National Rollout Progress 

NBI has now passed over 420,000 homes, farms and businesses in rural Ireland to high-speed broadband with over 149,000 now connected. The average take-up rate of 35% is ahead of projections and international comparisons and surpasses 50% in areas of the country where the network has been live for 18 months. 

Choosing a Broadband Provider 

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.      

Some 72 RSPs have already signed up to sell services on the NBI network™ and 66 are certified to provide connections as of today. To see the retail broadband providers that are currently licensed to sell on the NBI network™, visit nbi.ie.     

Keep up to Speed!    

NBI is encouraging people to check their eligibility and register for updates at nbi.ie to receive regular notifications related to their own premises as works progress in their area.    

Broadband Connection Points 

In advance of the Fibre-to-the-Home rollout, the NBP provides for the delivery of Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) nationwide. 955 of these sites, including Public BCPs, are now ‘live’. Public BCPs – which include sports clubs, community centres and tourist sites – will provide free public access to high-speed internet in the rollout area. Other BCP categories include schools and marts.  

  BCPs will pave the way for rural communities to receive the benefits of broadband, from mobile working, e-learning and mobile banking, to digital tourism. You can view BCPs at nbi.ie. An example of some of the locations of Broadband Connection Points in Westmeath include Milltown Emper Community Centre, Bunbrosna GAA Club and Clonkill Hurling Club. Primary schools in the Intervention Area are also now connected for educational access as part of the NBP.