€47 million to be invested in Westmeath under National Broadband Plan

27% of premises in Westmeath still without high-speed broadband in 2019

The rollout of high-speed broadband to more than 11,000 premises in Westmeath has moved one step closer, as the government announced that work to finalise the contract for the National Broadband Plan (NBP) is well progressed.

This is welcome news for the many homes and business premises in Westmeath which are adversely affected by lack of broadband and many of which have been lobbying local representatives for years to get the same services as their counterparts in the capital and major cities around the country.

The high-speed broadband roll-out will cover the remaining 27% of premises in the county.

Communications Minister Richard Bruton recently told the cabinet that, “it is crucial that we move to sign the contract so that the one million people who today are without access, are not left behind”.

National Broadband Ireland (NBI) is the preferred bidder for the contract, and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has already indicated that he would like to have the contract signed by the National Ploughing Championships in mid-September this year.

The first homes could be passed and connected by early autumn next year once the contract is closed.

Westmeath will receive an investment of €47 million to provide fibre broadband to 11,963 homes in the Intervention Area (IA).

This is a mapped area of rural Ireland where high-speed broadband is currently not commercially available and it encompasses over half a million premises, including 56,000 farms and 44,000 businesses.

In Westmeath, this includes areas such as Knockdrin, Ballymanus and Cornafean.

In total, 27% of all premises in Westmeath will be passed and eligible for connection.

The high-speed broadband is set to revolutionise working and home life for many who have had limited or congested connectivity up until now.

Some of the many benefits of high-speed broadband include e-learning, remote monitoring of livestock or equipment, e-health initiatives, better energy efficiency in the home, more remote working and the availability of value bundle phone, TV and internet packages.

Gerard McCormack, broadband officer of Westmeath County Council, said: “Westmeath County Council welcomes the €47 million investment into the county under the National Broadband Plan and the commitment towards the provision of high-speed broadband.

“Currently, close to 30 percent of premises in the county do not have access to high-speed broadband.

“Addressing this digital divide is one of the most positive initiatives undertaken by the state in recent years.

“The rollout of high-speed broadband will open up a wide range of positive options for individuals, businesses and communities across Westmeath.”

Tom Hyland, president of Mullingar Chamber of Commerce, added: “Mullingar Chamber and its members welcome the latest news regarding the €47 million investment in Westmeath under the National Broadband Plan and the move towards securing high-speed broadband in the county. The National Broadband Plan will bring economic and technological benefits to businesses as well as encourage growth and innovation.”

NBI chief executive Peter Hendrick said he welcomed Minister Bruton’s recent progress update and said his team are continuing to work hard to ensure contract close in the coming months.

“Some members of the team recently met with regional service providers – including several from Westmeath – for information briefings about how their businesses can integrate with the NBP.

“We have also initiated a regional communications campaign to ensure local media and public representatives are provided with up to date and important information regarding the project, to ensure they can deliver that to the public.

“We look forward to engaging with local communities in the future once the contract is signed and we start our work across Ireland.”

Donal Hanrahan, Head of Deployment, NBI, added: “In addition to the €47 million we will be investing in Westmeath, we will also be creating 2,000 jobs across rural Ireland with the national rollout of broadband, which will be a substantial boost to the local economies.

“Access to broadband will also create secondary employment to existing local business and enterprises which have been struggling to compete in the current digital economy.”