REVEALED: Where the new high speed rural broadband is going in Offaly

eir has vowed to deliver high-speed broadband to more than 6,000 premises in 28 Offaly communities by the end of 2018.

The number of premises in each of 28 communities in Offaly are listed on the attached image and in the below table.

Also pictured is a broadband map of Offaly, provided by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, which outlines how the Government plans to provide high speed broadband across Offaly.

According to eir, there will be 6,423 premises in rural areas of Offaly connected to high speed broadband under an extension of the rural fibre broadband scheme.

Welcoming the announcement this week by Minister Denis Naughten, eir said already more than 19,000 homes and businesses have access to high speed broadband in Offaly.

Since June 2012, eir has invested close to €450 million in its Next Generation Access network to provide high speed broadband throughout Ireland. This has been a vital part of its overall capital expenditure of €1.5bn during the same period.

eir has now commenced a new investment programme, costing an additional €200m, which directly benefits rural Ireland.

With this investment, eir will upgrade its infrastructure in 890 communities throughout the country, erecting new pole and fibre cable infrastructure along 23,000 kilometres of Irish roads, representing more than half the circumference of the world. The programme will be completed by the end of 2018, which it said will be two years ahead of its initial deadline of 2020.

As a result of this initiative, the percentage of premises with access to high speed broadband will rise from 70% to 80% by the end of 2018.

Commenting on the announcement, Richard Moat, eir CEO, said: “We remain fully supportive of the Government’s strategy and the Minister’s personal commitment to ensure that all premises in Ireland will be supplied with high speed broadband, either by commercial operators such as ourselves, or through the Government’s National Broadband Plan as quickly as possible.”
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten on Tuesday announced that he had paved the way to ensure that an additional 300,000 premises across Ireland can access high speed broadband within 90 weeks. 

These premises were previously part of the State Intervention Area but will now be provided by eir.

Minister Naughten said: “In 2016 only 52% of premises in Ireland had access to High Speed Broadband (HSB). With this latest development 77% of premises will have access to HSB by the end of 2018 and the majority of the remaining premises will have access by the end of 2020.”

 

RURAL BROADBAND EXTENSION PREMISES

Aghancon 96

Ballycumber 320

Ballydaly 41

Bracknagh 180

Clara 159

Cloghan 622

Clonbullogue 225

Cloneygowan 120

Crinkill 48

Daingean 278

Edenderry 343

Ferbane 227

Fivealley 121

Gracefield 128

Horseleap 117

Kilcormac 150

Killeigh 232

Kinnitty 332

Leabeg 57

Moneygall 320

Mountbolus 307

Pullough 170

Rahan 297

Rhode 361

Shannonbridge 160

Shinrone 169

Tullamore 555

Walsh Island 238