A new high-capacity broadband cable linking Ireland with the United States will make Oranmore a hotbed for hi-tech multinationals according to a local TD.
Fine Geal Galway West TD Brian Walsh is confident that when the cable is connected to Galway next year, it will leads to the “creation of hundreds of jobs” in the area.
The 60-terrabyte broadband cable will link New York to Belmullet in Co Mayo before being brought south to Galway as part of an €88 million infrastructure investment.
Dep Walsh understands that the relevant parties are already assessing suitable sites in Oranmore that would facilitate the development of a cluster of technology companies.
The cable is being laid throughout Ireland by the PiPiper Consortium, which is understood to be already looking at sites in Oranmore with the potential for the development of a cluster of hi-tech companies.
“Global giants such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook have tended to gravitate towards Dublin due to a deficit in broadband capacity in the west,” said Dep Walsh. “However, the fibre-optic cable due to come ashore next spring is set to attract high-data companies to the region.”
The PiPiper cable is expected to come ashore at Frenchport in Blacksod Bay next spring and will travel south through Co Mayo before coming to Oranmore. It will also be brought north to Letterkenny and will link up with the Kelvin Project in Northern Ireland.
According to Dep Walsh, the laying of the infrastructure will create some 230 new jobs during the construction phase. However he feels more jobs will result once the cable is operational.
