Almost 8,300 rural homes, farms and businesses in West Cork can now place an order for high-speed broadband with final 500 premises in the region due to be completed in coming months

Over 77,000 premises in County Cork 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 the rollout of fibre broadband is almost complete in West Cork, with the final 500 homes, businesses and farms due to be completed in the coming months.

NBI’s connection of the West Cork area means that almost 8,300 premises can now order a high-speed fibre broadband connection. 500 rural premises will soon be able to connect to the NBI network™ in areas including Bantry Bay, Bere Island, the Beara Peninsula and the Sheep’s Head Peninsula.

Works have already been completed in much of the rural areas across the county including Schull and Skibbereen. 23,841 connections have been made to date in County Cork.

NBI is encouraging all Cork residents to visit nbi.ie and check their Eircode to see if they’re ready to connect and find out more about placing an order.  

NBI’s fibre rollout under the NBP 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 Intervention Area currently includes 83,000 premises in Cork which will see NBI deliver minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to homes, businesses, farms, and schools across the county. As the biggest investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification, County Cork will receive €314m of Government investment under the National Broadband Plan. 

TJ Malone, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, said: “We are delighted to announce that National Broadband Plan rollout is nearing completion in West Cork as almost 8,300 can place an order for a high-speed broadband connection today, with the final 500 premises in the region due to be completed in coming months. Those connected are experiencing the life-changing benefits of high-speed fibre broadband with minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second.

“With the national switch-off of the copper network approaching, NBI’s fibre network will ensure communities across Ireland are prepared for the future by supporting remote working, education, healthcare access, and local enterprise while providing the reliability needed for everyday living.

“As we enter the final phase of the National Broadband Plan rollout, we’re encouraging everyone in County Cork to check their Eircode on nbi.ie and order now to secure high-speed fibre broadband for their home or business.”

National Rollout Progress

NBI has now passed over 527,000 homes, farms and businesses in rural Ireland with high-speed broadband infrastructure, of which over 191,000 are now connected. The average take-up rate of 36% is well ahead of projections and international comparisons and surpasses 60% in areas of the country where the network has been live the longest.

The National Broadband Ireland website is regularly updated to show estimated completion dates. With the main rollout due to be concluded by the end of this year, the remaining homes and businesses yet to be passed will be able to place an order for high-speed broadband in the coming months. The easiest way to get updates on when a premises will be ready to order is by signing up for NBI email alerts at nbi.ie.

As fibre networks expand across Ireland, offering superior speed, capacity, and reliability; older copper telephone and broadband infrastructure will start to be decommissioned. The European Commission has proposed 2035 as the latest date for EU Member States to mandate the decommissioning of the legacy copper networks.  

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.    

Over 50 RSPs are available on the NBI network™ to provide connections as of today. To see all retail broadband providers that are currently 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.