National Broadband Plan on track for completion by year end

National Broadband Ireland forecasts project will come in under 2019 budget

Trade

TJ Malone, National Broadband Ireland and Minister for Culture, Communications & Sport Patrick O’Donovan

National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company responsible for delivering the Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), has today announced that it has passed nearly 440,000 (439,712) premises with high-speed fibre broadband, which is ahead of the company’s original end of year target of 420,000. NBI has completed build works to 80% of all premises in the NBP Intervention Area, placing the main infrastructure rollout firmly on track to be completed by the end of next year.

Additionally, approximately 157,000 (156,959) homes, farms and businesses are now connected to the network. As the National Broadband Plan rollout nears completion, take-up rates continue to grow. In many areas where the network has been live for longer, take-up already surpasses 60%, reflecting strong national appetite for world-class fibre connectivity. 

NBI also confirmed that the NBP is expected to be delivered within the capped State subsidy envelope of €2.6 billion, set at contract signing in 2019. With the remaining 20% of network construction already contracted and underway, the company has high confidence that the project will finish on schedule and within budget. While general inflation in Ireland has risen by 22.5% since the project commenced, NBI has limited cost inflation on the project to just 8%.

TJ Malone, chief executive officer, National Broadband Ireland, said: “Reaching 440,000 premises passed and connecting 157,000 customers before the end of 2025 is a significant achievement for our team and our build partners. The momentum behind the rollout is stronger than ever, and the levels of take-up we are seeing show just how much high-speed fibre is needed right across rural Ireland.

“Our focus is now firmly on completing the remaining 20% of the build by the end of next year, including approximately 30,000 additional premises that have been added to the rollout. The disciplined approach we’ve taken, both in managing costs and in planning the rollout, means we are on track to deliver this national programme within the original capped subsidy, despite considerable inflation in the wider economy since we first began construction.”

People living and working in the rollout area can connect to high-speed fibre broadband on the NBI Network through a choice of over 50 different broadband providers actively selling on the network.

TechCentral Reporters

Read More: National Broadband Ireland national broadband plan