Mullingar one of the towns in new broadband plan

Mullingar and Athlone are set to benefit from a new joint venture between ESB and Vodafone that will ‘propel Ireland into the ranks of the world’s fastest broadband countries’.

Last Wednesday, ESB and Vodafone announced that they were investing €450m in building a ‘100% fibre-to-the-building broadband network’ offering speeds from 200 Mbps to 1000 Mbps.

Mullingar and Athlone are two of 50 Irish towns chosen for the initial roll out of the new network that will use existing electricity infrastructure to deploy fibre directly into homes and businesses.

The fibre will be deployed on ESB’s existing overhead and underground infrastructure, which the firms say, will ensure ‘a fast and cost efficient roll-out to every county in Ireland and reversing the digital divide between the capital and regional towns’.

According to a press release announcing the joint venture, 43% of Irish broadband customers receive less than 10Mbps, so ‘direct access to 100% fibre broadband of up to one gigabit per second will transform the internet experience of small and medium businesses (SME), remote workers and consumers’.

‘This will help regional areas to compete more effectively for investment and jobs, and SMEs to work more efficiently, enhance their online presence and reach new markets and customers. Consumers will enjoy innovations ranging from home entertainment to e-health and virtual education. Home working will also become a real option for more people, helping Ireland to develop its smart economy.’

If given the go-ahead by the European Commission, the joint venture will begin rolling out the new network in the coming months, with the first customers able to avail of the service from earlier next year. The first phase is due to be completed in 2018.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte said: “The National Broadband Plan underlines the government’s commitment to delivering high-speed broadband services to rural Ireland, with fibre as a core element. Complementing government investment in rural areas, will be commercial investment in more densely populated areas, offering competitive high speed services over multiple technology platforms.

“Today’s announcement by ESB and Vodafone to create a joint venture company to deliver up to one gigabit of broadband speeds in 50 locations nationwide is an exciting step in ensuring that regional towns can enjoy similar levels of connectivity to our cities, benefiting local business and helping to attract investment.”