Enet Castlebar network announcement

Castlebar gets fibre-powered broadband network upgrade

Trade
Enet CEO Conal Henry with Castlebar businessman Cyril Burke

22 February 2016

Castlebar in Co Mayo has become the sixth town in Ireland to receive a 1Gb/s broadband infrastructure upgrade from open access provider enet. The new network is the result of a €1.5 million private investment to fund the deployment of a metro fibre ring in the town connected to all major commercial and industrial zones.

This fibre network has future-proofed Castlebar’s business community by providing the ultimate unlimited broadband experience, free from bandwidth bottlenecks, and is allowing local businesses to take full advantage of digital markets and exploit online opportunities.

This announcement follows enet’s recent launch of a 1Gb/s fibre broadband network in rural North Kerry to showcase its capability to deliver the National Broadband Plan programme. Costing €650,000 and delivering fibre-broadband connections directly into approximately 340 premises in the locality, it is enabling local homes and businesses in Kerry to enjoy genuinely world class broadband services.

Conal Henry, enet CEO, said: “As with the 94 metropolitan area networks which we operate on behalf of the State, this privately funded fibre ring is creating further opportunities for the businesses of Castlebar, and putting an end to the limitations created by the single supplier monopoly which had previously existed in the town.

“This network is operated in an open access fashion, meaning that all service providers have access to it, allowing for competition in a way that had not previously happened in Castlebar. Our experience has shown that the existence of open access fibre has a major impact on boosting the range, quality and value of communications solutions for businesses in the area.”

Enet operates the State-owned Metropolitan Area Networks on a wholesale basis in Ballina, Belmullet, Ballinrobe, Claremorris, Kiltimagh and Knock.

In a separate initiative, the company, currently a finalist in the 2016 European Business Awards for Business of the Year, is  developing a number of enet ‘fibredirect’ towns across Ireland, with Claremorris having been the first to benefit.

To date enet’s Fibre to the Business towns include Claremorris, Loughrea, Ardee and Kilkenny city, with up to 20 more towns planned.

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