National Broadband Plan marks 50,000th connection in Cork
The company marked the latest milestone in the NBP rollout at a farm in rural Co Cork.
Peter Hendrick, the chief executive of National Broadband Ireland, the number of of homes, farms and businesses connected to the NBI network has doubled in the last nine months.
“Over 180,000 premises are ready to connect by signing up with one of our 62 retail partners,” he said,
Minister Ossian Smyth, Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement, eGovernment and Circular Economy, said the National Broadband plan has seen a much higher take-up rate from Irish people than we had originally forecast.
The Government’s broadband plan first began in 2019 and is meant to finish in 2026 at an estimated cost of €5.5 billion.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ossian Smyth said 45,000 homes were due to be connected by June and this has been surpassed.
“It is very ambitious, more ambitious than other European countries are doing for their rural broadband,” the Minister said.
“We are going to bring fibre broadband to every single home, farm and business in rural Ireland outside of an area where it’s not commercially feasible to develop,” he added.
The Minister said it is expected that 80% of people who are offered the service will take it up eventually.
“The reason for that is because we’ve set the price at a level for rural Ireland that is at the same price level as if you were living in a city. So we’re offering people that equality of opportunity,” he stated.
Mr Smyth said that no county is fully connected, but added that every county is being connected at the same time.
“We have 1,000 workers working across the country connecting fibre and it is absolutely transformative for those for people who’ve received the service,” the Minister said.
“It means that when it comes to your village, it means that you can live in your village. You can stay there. It brings jobs,” he added.
Article Source: National Broadband Plan marks 50,000th connection in Cork – RTE
