National Broadband Ireland (NBI ), the company delivering the new future-proofed, high-speed Fibre-to-the-Home network under the National Broadband Plan (NBP ) on behalf of the Government, has announced that the first premises in Ballinasloe have been successfully connected.
Up to 39,000 premises in County Galway are included in the State’s Intervention Area, which will see NBI deliver minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to homes, businesses, farms and schools. As the biggest investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification, the County will receive €153 million of Government investment under the NBP.
As a wholesale network operator, NBI does not sell fibre broadband directly to end users, rather it enables services from a range of broadband providers or Retail Service Providers (RSPs ). As a wholesale provider, NBI will make the new Fibre-to-the-Home network available to all RSPs operating in the Intervention Area.
Some 50 RSPs have already signed up to sell services on the NBI network and 34 are certified as ready to start providing connections as of today. To see the retail broadband providers that are currently licensed to sell on the NBI™ network, visit NBI.ie/buy Peter Hendrick, CEO of National Broadband Ireland, said the first connections in Ballinasloe, will enable users to experience the life-changing benefits that high-speed broadband provides.
“As an increasing number of homes and businesses are being connected, we are confident that the rollout will continue to gather pace as we look to connect thousands more homes and businesses. We are acutely aware that people want access to high-speed broadband and our goal is to deliver that as quickly as possible.”
Michael Fitzmaurice, T.D. for Roscommon-Galway said he welcomed the milestone of the first connections made to premises in Ballinasloe under the National Broadband Plan.
“This is a key development for the digital footprint of the area, and an important step towards ensuring that communities, homes, schools and businesses across Galway and Roscommon have access to high-speed fibre broadband.
“While meeting NBI representatives in the county this week I have stressed the need for urgency regarding the speed of the deployment of broadband. Our communities in rural Ireland are in immediate need of connectivity and every effort is required to expediate the fibre rollout,” he said.
Martin Moran, one of the first customers connected in the Ballinasloe Deployment Area to be connected to the NBI network said they were delighted to be connected to high speed broadband by NBI.
“It’s allowed myself and my wife to experience a variety of advantages, knowing that we can rely on a consistent connection to high speed broadband.
“This includes greater capacity to work on projects such as charity work and to enjoy leisure activities such as streaming, as well as video calls with family members abroad.”
Noel Madden, Broadband Officer with Galway County Council said “Galway County Council welcomes investment to improve telecommunications services in County Galway, as the need to access high speed broadband is fast becoming a part of everyday life for most people.”
NBI contractors have been on the ground since January 2020 surveying townlands across the county. This involves physically walking the routes and documenting images, notes and measurements of the poles, cables and underground ducts in each area, and enables design solutions for the provision of the fibre network.
Under the National Broadband Plan, 554,000 premises nationwide are included in the Intervention Area, which was established by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to identify areas where commercial operators are not currently providing access to high-speed broadband or do not intend to.
