Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 April 2025
253. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the expected connection date of the national broadband plan to a location in County Offaly (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15173/25]
View answerIn December 2022, the Digital Connectivity Strategy for Ireland was published and it sets out a number of targets including that all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028. This target is on track and will be met through a combination of commercial investment and State funding.
The Programme for Government – Securing Ireland’s Future, published in January 2025, sets a number of targets which include the completion of a high-speed fibre network to provide broadband access to 1.1 million people, including homes, farms, and businesses nationwide, by the end of 2026. The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the Government's initiative to deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland.
In County Offaly, over 4,800 premises are passed with a high-speed fibre broadband network and available for immediate connection with 1,315 premises now connected. A further 8,200 premises in Offaly will be passed by NBI’s high speed fibre broadband by the end of the contract.
NBI have advised that there are 232 premises outside Killeigh village that are included in the Killeigh electoral district. These premises are included in the Mount Bolus and Tullamore Deployment Areas (DA), 102 premises in the Mount Bolus DA are Ready For Service and are available to Order. The network build is in progress for the 127 premises which come under the Tullamore DA and have an anticipated date for connection of October 2025 - December 2025.
Killeigh village is in the BLUE area on the broadband map which is available on my Department's website https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/5634d-national-broadband-plan-map/.
The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high-speed broadband services.
The activities of commercial operators delivering high-speed broadband within BLUE areas are not planned or funded by the State and the Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard. There may be a choice of operators offering this service in any given area. Further information in this regard is available at www.comreg.ie/compare/#/services.
As per records available online Killeigh village has been included in open eir’s Full Fibre deployment programme which provides a full fibre Gigabit connection. This information and updates can be found on the Open eir website at https://open-eir.webflow.i/fibre/broadband-checker.
