Broadband for all in midlands ‘by end of Summer 2026’

The rollout of high-speed fibre broadband across the Midlands, including Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, will be completed by the end of summer next year, National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has announced.

According to NBI, the company delivering the Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), 39,969 homes, farms and businesses in the Midlands can now order a high-speed connection, with 15,725 already connected and enjoying the benefits of connectivity to NBI’s network.

NBI recently announced it had passed almost 404,000 premises in its rollout of the National Broadband Plan nationally. To date, over 143,000 premises across the country have connected to the NBI Network, with take-up approaching 60% in areas that were among the first to go live.

At this point, just over 4,000 premises are left to be passed across the four midland counties.

“Fibre broadband is now an essential utility for farming and rural life. It allows families to work and study from home, gives farmers the tools to drive productivity and sustainability, and supports local businesses to compete on a global stage,” TJ Malone, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, said this week.

“We’re proud to be delivering a network that empowers local communities, so we’re urging everyone to contact their broadband providers to ensure they get connected to the NBI network.”

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. With more than 50 broadband providers actively selling on NBI’s open-access network, rural communities now have access to the same level of competition and choice as those in urban areas. Customers can select from a wide range of internet providers, with competitive pricing and bundled packages available nationwide.

The National Broadband Ireland website is regularly updated to show estimated connection dates. Signing up to the NBI email notifications at https://nbi.ie/eoi/ is the easiest way to get the most up to date status of premises (Eircodes) during the rollout and when premises will be ready for order.