Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
197. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for an update on the rollout of the National Broadband Plan for Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16270/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the Government initiative to deliver high-speed broadband to all premises in Ireland. In addition, Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy published in December 2022, sets out a number of targets including that all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028.
The Programme for Government – Securing Ireland’s Future published in January 2025 sets a number of targets which include the completion of the installation of high-speed fibre broadband to 1.1 million people, including homes, farms, and businesses nationwide, by 2026.
I am advised by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) that, over 451,550 premises are passed across 26 counties and available for immediate connection. 166,670 premises are already connected to the NBP high-speed broadband network. NBI are connecting circa 4,500 homes each month.
In the Deputy's own county of Cork a significant investment of €314 million is being made under the NBP. There are over 58,540 premises passed with a high-speed fibre broadband network and 62,677 are available to order/pre-order, with 19,685 premises now connected. A further circa 24,450 premises in Cork will be passed by NBI’s high speed fibre broadband by the end of the network deployment.
Premises located in the Charleville , Dunmanway, Grenagh and Kilcrohane Deployment Areas (DAs) are currently in the network build phase. These premises have an anticipated date for connection between July 2026 and September 2026. Premises in the Ballingeary and Carriganimmy DAs are also at network build phase and have an anticipated connection date of between October and December 2026.
Further details are available on specific areas within County Cork and can be monitored via https://nbi.ie/reps/ . NBI has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries. It should be noted that NBI provide this information for County Cork based on NBI deployment areas rather than exact county boundaries.
