July 2, 2014

ESB and Vodafone signed an innovative joint venture agreement to invest €450 million in building a 100 per cent fibre-to-the-building broadband network offering speeds from 200 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps, propelling Ireland into the ranks of the world’s fastest broadband countries. Ireland will also become the first country in Europe to utilise existing electricity infrastructure on a nationwide basis to deploy fibre directly into homes and businesses, initially reaching 500,000 premises in 50 towns. The fibre will be deployed on ESB’s existing overhead and underground infrastructure, ensuring a fast and cost-efficient roll-out to every county in Ireland and reversing the digital divide between the capital and regional towns.

With recent data from ComReg, the Irish telecoms regulator, showing that 43 per cent of fixed broadband customers in Ireland receive speeds of less than 10 Mbps, direct access to 100 per cent fibre broadband of up to one gigabit per second will transform the internet experience of small and medium businesses (SME), remote workers and consumers.

Subject to European Commission approval, the 50:50 joint venture will begin rolling out the new network across Ireland in the coming months, with the first customers able to avail of 100 per cent fibre broadband from the start of 2015. The initial phase of the project is expected to be fully rolled out by the end of 2018, with scope for a second phase under the joint venture.