102,000 premises can now pre-order high speed fibre broadband from a National Broadband Ireland retail partner

Benefits to tourism and hospitality sector highlighted in Kerry where 6,465 premises can now connect to NBI network

Cahernane House Hotel in Killarney played host today (Friday) as National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company rolling out the new high-speed fibre broadband network under the Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), announced that it has reached 25,000 connections to its network. Minister of State, Ossian Smyth and National Broadband Ireland Chief Executive, Peter Hendrick were joined by Gerard O’Sullivan of Kerry retail broadband provider, Ivertec to mark the milestone at the hotel, which has recently connected to the network.

Cahernane House Hotel, General Manager, Emer Corridan outlined the benefits of broadband to the business while the positive impact of the NBP for the tourism and hospitality sector was also highlighted at the event. The hotel is located on the edge of Killarney National Park and dates back to 1877.

County Kerry has the highest proportion of jobs directly depending on the tourism and hospitality sectors at 18%, and access to high speed broadband can allow enterprises in this sector to attract new business, deliver efficiencies and use technology to provide a better experience to customers.

Emer Corridan, General Manager of Cahernane House Hotel, a recent customer of NBI’s Kerry retail partner, Ivertec, said: “We’ve experienced great benefits from being connected to the NBI fibre network with guaranteed minimum download speeds of 500Mbps, having previously had download speeds of 16Mbps. Our business is more efficient and most importantly, our guests are extremely satisfied with the broadband access they now have when they stay with us. We are part of a hotel group and high speed broadband has made accessing central systems and meetings so much easier with a big reduction in travel time.”

Peter Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland said: “Reaching 25,000 connections is a great milestone for our fibre rollout and it shows the momentum that National Broadband Ireland has built in 2022 with 102,000 homes, farms and businesses now able to order a connection to NBI fibre. November saw the highest number of premises connected to NBI’s high-speed gigabit fibre network in a single month to date. We’re also on course to be live in every county across the country by the end of the year so that there will be premises in all 26 counties which can order broadband from an NBI retail partner.

“In Kerry, 6,465 homes or businesses in Tralee and Killarney, and surrounding areas, can connect now and can find out how by searching their Eircode on nbi.ie.  Already 35% of eligible homes and business are connecting to the network.  Cahernane House Hotel is a great example of how transformative high-speed fibre can be for tourism and hospitality businesses in rural Ireland. Research has shown that 84% of business travellers say Wi-Fi access influences them to choose a particular hotel so the potential to win new customers from this market and beyond is clear.”

Ossian Smyth, Minister of State for Communications, said: “Today marks another key milestone in the achievement of Ireland’s Digital Connectivity Strategy that seeks to ensure all Premises in Ireland have access to gigabit broadband by 2028. National Broadband Ireland have now passed more than 100,000 rural premises across every county and have today connected the 25,000th premises to their full fibre network.

 “I am happy to report, through the combination of significant private and public investment, full fibre broadband subscriptions have increased to over 420,000, representing nearly 18% coverage of all homes and businesses in the State. This is increasing at a rapid rate year on year as networks continue to be upgraded.

“Access to high-speed fibre broadband is transformative for end users. I am confident that it will open up new opportunities for Cahernane House Hotel in how it operates in the future and the services it provides to its guests. It will also increase potential business and tourism opportunities, for Killarney and businesses across the region.

“The Government’s objective is that by 2028, through a combination of investment by commercial operators and the National Broadband Plan, every premises in Ireland will have access to Gigabit broadband.”

Gerard O’Sullivan, Business Development Manager of retail broadband provider Ivertec said: “We are delighted to be integrated with NBI, and to be able to deliver high-speed broadband to homes and business across rural Kerry. While the NBP is a nationwide fibre roll out, people can order a fibre service through a local business like Ivertec. High-speed broadband will be transformative for our county and the fact that local suppliers like us can play a part is the icing on the cake for customers.”

*data correct as of 01.12.2022

Source of tourism benefits information: https://www.ey.com/en_ie/strategy-transactions/connecting-irish-rural-communities-with-the-national-broadband-plan