Athlone has been named among 50 large towns to benefit from a major new broadband rollout.
The new €450 million fibre broadband network is a joint venture between the ESB and Vodafone, and will make speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps available to users - more than 10 times the rate of current services.
In Westmeath, Athlone and Mullingar are to benefit from the first phase of the rollout, which will commence in early 2015 and is expected to reach 500,000 premises across the country.
ESB and Vodafone got approval from the EU to form a joint venture company to invest in the 100 per cent fibre broadband network, the first in Ireland.
ESB chief executive Pat O’Doherty said the network was “the most significant development in Ireland’s broadband sector to date”.
