Latest county milestone sees National Broadband Plan scheduled to complete by end of this year
National Broadband Ireland (NBI) and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport have today announced the completion of the National Broadband Plan (NBP)’s main infrastructure build works in Co. Dublin.
Although Dublin accounts for a relatively small share of premises included in the National Broadband Plan (NBP), the milestone is a significant one for homes, businesses and communities on the outskirts of the county that were included in the State’s Intervention Area.
Dublin is the latest county to reach this stage of the rollout as the national programme moves through its final phase of delivery. Works have recently been completed in Kilkenny, Longford, Tipperary, Meath, Westmeath and Waterford.
Speaking recently, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, TD said: “This announcement marks an important milestone for the National Broadband Plan. The completion of the main build works in Dublin is a tangible example of the Government’s commitment to investing in infrastructure that supports communities and delivers long term economic and social benefits.”
“For the almost 13,000 premises across Co. Dublin included in the rollout area, this €48 million Government investment is delivering reliable, future-proofed fibre connectivity to support communities, unlock opportunities and improve the quality of life for people across the county. Whether in rural Ireland or on the fringes of our largest urban centres, access to high-speed broadband is now essential for education, enterprise, remote working, public services, and daily life.”
“The completion of the main build in Dublin is another significant step forward as we continue to deliver the National Broadband Plan and ensure communities across the country can fully participate in Ireland’s digital future.”
NBI’s fibre rollout is delivering broadband infrastructure to what is known as the State’s Intervention Area, which includes the most remote and rural parts of Ireland where commercial operators have no plans to deliver high-speed broadband. The network delivers minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to homes, businesses, farms and schools, providing the infrastructure needed to support modern digital life.
TJ Malone, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, said: “Today’s milestone highlights the truly national reach of the National Broadband Plan. While Dublin may not be the county most commonly associated with the rollout, thousands of homes and businesses across the county are now benefiting from the same world-class fibre infrastructure being delivered throughout Ireland.”
“Completing the main infrastructure build works in Co. Dublin is a hugely significant moment for everyone involved in the NBP. This has been a complex engineering project, reaching some of the most rural and dispersed communities, even in the context of county Dublin. It is thanks to the hard work of our deployment teams, our contractors, local authority partners and communities on the ground that we have reached this milestone.”
“We’ll continue to work with our partners in Dublin to support connections to the network so that people can place orders and experience the benefits of high-speed fibre broadband. Already, over 3,500 premises have connected to the NBI network in Dublin, showing there is demand for high-speed, reliable broadband in the areas we serve.”
With construction now at an advanced stage nationwide, NBI has confirmed that the main build of the fibre network remains on track for completion by the end of this year. The network will enable high-speed broadband access for 566,000 homes, farms and businesses across rural Ireland, an increase of 29,000 premises from the original 537,000 identified at the time of contract signing.
Nationally, more than 510,000 premises have now been passed by the NBI network and can order a fibre broadband connection, with almost 188,000 premises connected so far as demand continues to accelerate. In many areas where the network has been live for longer, take-up already surpasses 60%, reflecting strong national appetite for world-class fibre connectivity. Communities across Ireland are now able to access fibre broadband capable of supporting remote work, online learning, digital health services, agri-tech, tourism and local enterprise.
Residents and businesses in NBI’s rollout area can check their Eircode on the NBI website to confirm availability and view the list of broadband providers offering services over the network. NBI is a wholesale network operator, meaning homes and businesses order services through broadband providers rather than directly from NBI.
