Fibre optic cable

Blacknight joins National Broadband Ireland to extend fibre network reach

More than half a million premises eligible for fibre broadband connectivity
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Image: Guillaume Meurice/Pexels

18 February 2022

Blacknight has joined the National Broadband Ireland project as a retailer to expand its growing broadband business. The Web host, domain registrar and broadband provider will bring high-speed fibre Internet to more than 500,000 premises throughout Ireland that did not have access to it before.

NBI broadband through Blacknight will be rolled out nationally as the new network is built. All Irish consumers can see if they qualify for fibre broadband from NBI in rural areas through Blacknight’s Eircode checker

Across Ireland, 544,000 premises, including 54,000 farms, 44,000 small businesses and 700 primary schools are eligible for fibre broadband.

With more people working from home, or starting hybrid office/home working arrangements, consumers now have more options on where to live with the NBI rollout. Meanwhile, rural businesses can finally get access to broadband speeds that were not previously available to them.

“The new reality post-pandemic is hybrid or remote working, and the one thing consumers and businesses need to make it work is high-speed internet. For too long, rural areas have been underserved by big broadband providers, high-speed options simply didn’t exist for them,” said Blacknight CEO Michele Neylon. “Now, with the rollout of NBI, hundreds of thousands of businesses can come online and operate at the same high speeds that have been available elsewhere. This supports our national vision for this country to make the most of digital opportunities.”

“With great speed comes great possibilities. To succeed in the post-COVID pandemic world, it will be critical for businesses to get online,” said Blacknight CTO Paul Kelly. “This is just another pillar in our strategy to get Irish small businesses online. It started last year with selling the tools business needs to operate remotely, offering products to help small businesses sell online easily, and now we’re offering the fast broadband they need to succeed in this new reality.”

“National Broadband Ireland welcomes Blacknight as a new Retail Service Provider to the National Broadband Plan,” said NBI chief executive Peter Hendrick. “As a wholesale provider, NBI is making the new Fibre-to-the-Home network available to all Retail Service Providers (RSPs) operating in the Intervention Area. By joining the NBI project, Blacknight is ensuring that customers will have more choices when it comes to connecting to our high-speed broadband network. As an increasing number of homes and businesses are being connected by Blacknight and other RSPs, we are confident that the rollout will continue to gather pace throughout the country.”

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