One-hundred and ten electoral districts in Mayo now have broadband as part of the successful delivery by 3 Ireland, of the €223 million National Broadband Scheme, according to Communications Minister Eamon Ryan.
“This is the most significant milestone in Ireland’s broadband story,” said Minister Ryan. “Two years ago, I committed that the Government would deliver broadband to every district in the country that was without a service. I am pleased to announce today that we have succeeded in our plans. The scheme has now brought a broadband service to 1,028 areas across rural Ireland that were previously unserved.”
A service with a minimum download speed of 1.6Mbps and maximum of 6.8Mbps has been made available. Built into the contract is a provision that speeds will be increased to a maximum of 10Mbps in the next two years while 3 has indicated that speeds of 40Mbps are achievable by the end of 2011.
“Broadband has been successfully delivered to all NBS areas. We are now at over 99 per cent coverage for the whole country. I will announce a new Rural Broadband Scheme in the New Year which will ensure that we get to the remainder – less than one per cent,” said Minister Ryan.
Robert Finnegan, CEO, 3, said: “3’s high quality broadband offering will have enormous benefits for rural homes and businesses throughout the country.
“Working from the home can become a reality for many and online banking, shopping, and education will become the norm at last in these remote areas.”
A recent study carried out by economist Jim Power shows that the spin-off benefits of widespread broadband access can be significant in regional areas. It estimates that in Donegal, the scheme will deliver €25m to the local economy, in Galway €53m, €40m in Kerry, and €26.9m in Mayo.
The National Broadband Scheme is co-funded by the Exchequer, the EU, and 3 Ireland. The Department of Communications will monitor the scheme on a monthly basis until 2014.
