Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 November 2020
373. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of broadband connection points provided to date in counties Cavan and Monaghan in 2020; and the total number to be delivered in the counties by the end of 2021. [37545/20]
View answerBroadband Connection Points (BCPs) will be among the first sites connected under the National Broadband Plan. At present, there are approximately 200 public access BCP sites scheduled for connection in 2020, in addition to 75 school BCPs. Up to 100 further public access sites are planned for connection in 2021.
BCPs will be located in some of the most rural and isolated areas in the country, including 10 islands in counties Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry and Mayo. The sites will be provided with a high-speed broadband service (minimum 150mbps) for the community to use on-site.
Initial connectivity is provided via a temporary wireless solution at each site by National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company contracted to deliver the National Broadband Plan in the State subvention area. Once this equipment has been installed, Vodafone Ireland install Wi-Fi access points and other customer premises equipment.
As of Tuesday 17 November, more than 80 public access BCPs across the country have been installed with Wi-Fi equipment, with new sites being added every day. The table below details the number of installed sites for Cavan and Monaghan to date and the number of sites to be connected in both counties by end Q1 2021. Full details of the BCP locations, both installed and planned, can also be found on NBI's website at https://nbi.ie/bcp-map/.
|
County |
Installed |
Planned |
|
Cavan |
1 |
10 |
|
Monaghan |
7 |
5 |
Once the build phase of the BCP project has completed, my Department's officials will work with the Local Authorities, site owners and a number of other stakeholders to develop the BCP network. I envisage that the network will mature over the coming years, providing a range of digitally-enabled services including eHealth initiatives, training and education, and connected working.
