Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
71. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an update on broadband and mobile connectivity in Brideswell, Athlone; if he will advise what measures have been taken to address ongoing issues with mobile phone signal in the area; if he will confirm if broadband roll-out for the area will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37242/23]
View answerMy Department's High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie, shows the areas included in the National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led intervention as well as areas targeted by commercial operators. The map is colour coded and searchable by address and Eircode. Premises in the AMBER area will be provided with high-speed broadband through the State led Intervention. The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
BLUE areas are not included in the State intervention area covered by the National Broadband Plan as commercial operators are already providing high-speed broadband or have indicated future plans to do so. My Department defines high-speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload.
Officials in my Department have advised that the area referred to in the Question, which is an extensively BLUE area, currently has 2 commercial operators providing full fibre services to many of the homes and businesses in the location. Any premises yet to be enabled for fibre will be catered for as part of commercial fibre rollouts currently underway.
Providing telecommunication services, including mobile phone, is a matter for the relevant service providers operating in a fully liberalised market regulated by the Commission for Communication Regulation (ComReg), as independent Regulator.
Operational matters of private commercial operators, including in relation to signals in specific areas, are a matter for these commercial operators and not one in which I have any function.
In December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that:
• all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028;
• all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, and
• digital connectivity will be delivered to all schools and broadband connection points by 2023.
The National Broadband Plan intervention contract provides for the roll out of a high speed and future-proofed broadband network to primarily rural areas. The intervention area covers over 1.1 million people living and working in over 560,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools.
These targets will be achieved through commercial operators investing in their networks, complemented by the State’s National Broadband Plan intervention. When taken together, all premises in the State will have access to high-speed broadband in every part of the country no matter how remote.
