Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 October 2025
313. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the means by which his Department is co-ordinating with both National Broadband Ireland and commercial providers such as companies (details supplied) to avoid duplication and ensure efficient roll-out of fibre broadband in towns like Skerries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52738/25]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the Government's initiative to deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland.
The mapping consultation between fixed line operators and the Department was concluded in 2019.
As part of this mapping consultation the three large, fixed line operators (open eir, Virgin Media and Siro) were asked to submit their current High-Speed Broadband (HSBB) coverage maps and potential future maps for HSBB. At the time HSBB was defined as a fixed line technology that could deliver 30Mbps or greater download speed and 6Mbps or greater upload speed.
Resulting from the analysis of this data, the National Broadband Ireland (NBI) network is deployed to premises in the Intervention Area where HSBB was not going to be delivered by commercial operators.
NBI are building an individual wholesale high speed fibre network to serve the NBP Intervention area, which includes 564K premises, equating to connecting circa 1.1 million people across Ireland.
Nationwide over 431,900K premises are Available to Order or Pre-Order today and the remaining premises are actively being progressed to the detailed build phases to ensure they are connected by the end of deployment. NBI have advised that the majority of premises in Skerries are ready for service, and 2,409 premises in the Skerries Deployment area are available to order / pre order. The remaining premises are currently undergoing survey work and have an anticipated date for connection of October 2026 - December 2026.
The Intervention Area is defined by reference to existing and planned commercial coverage, in line with EU State aid rules.
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.
Per records online at open-eir.webflow.io/fibre/broadband-checker, open eir have already passed over 1.4 million homes nationwide, and at siro.ie/roll-out/, SIRO has recently reached a milestone of enabling over 685,000 premises for full fibre. Virgin Media Ireland has reached a major milestone in its fibre upgrade programme with over 550,000 fibre homes constructed.
