Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 January 2024
113. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the extent to which provision of broadband continues to meet targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3223/24]
View answerIn 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.
• These targets will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and through the State investment in National Broadband Ireland (NBI).
• The Digital Connectivity Strategy will lead to more balanced regional development, supporting the green transition, facilitating greater access to regional talent and skills and will assist with the implementation of the Government’s Remote Working Strategy, Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, and Project Ireland 2040.
• Over the last number of years commercial investment in full fibre broadband has consistently increased. These commercial investments, together with the State backed investment across rural Ireland will see gigabit broadband rolled out across the State and to all citizens. Recent ComReg reports show a 33% year on year increase in full fibre subscriptions with over 600,000 premises now connected to a gigabit network.
• Eir is building a FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) network to up to 1.9 million premises and to date has passed over 1.1 million homes and businesses;
• SIRO has recently reached a milestone of enabling over 545,000 premises for full fibre and is on track to reach 700,000 premises by 2026. On 15 January they announced that its services are now available to 50,000 homes and business across Dublin city. That figure goes up to 100,000 premises overall across the wider Dublin area after expansion to areas underserved by fibre-to-the-home broadband; and
• Virgin Media recently announced a €200 million investment plan to upgrade its cable network to bring full fibre to up to 1 million premises over the next three years. To date, it has passed 252,000 premises with full fibre.
• As a result of significant challenges, primarily due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, delivery of original milestones under the contract were delayed. A Final Remedial Plan was developed as a result of this and under this plan NBI committed to delivering a cumulative target of 185,000 premises passed by the end of January 2024. NBI achieved this target before this target date and in fact by 31 December 2023 they had passed 205,638 premises. Over 217,100 premises can order or pre-order service across all counties.
• To date, the level of connections is exceeding initial projections. NBI are connecting circa 3,500 homes each month and have connected over 66,500 premises. NBI expect to have passed in excess of 300,000 premises by the end of 2024 with circa 120,000 premises passed each year thereafter until the end of deployment at which point over 560,000 will be passed.
• On average, almost 30% of premises passed have been connected to date, which exceeds expectations in terms of the connection rate of premises availing of the network so soon after it is available. Some areas have over 40% take up to date. The overall target rate of connections over the coming 5 years is 80% and NBI remain confident they will achieve this.
• Recent ComReg data shows that Quarter 3 of 2023, saw a 7.62% increase in fibre broadband subscriptions compared to Qtr 2, 2023, and a 33.83% increase when compared to Quarter 3 of 2022. This demonstrates that the take-up of fibre connectivity for homes and businesses is increasing greatly as the services are deployed to areas where they had previously been unavailable. This demonstrates that take-up of fibre connectivity for homes and businesses is increasing substantially as it is deployed to areas where it had previously been unavailable.
• The same ComReg data also indicates that c. 40% of homes and business throughout the State now have access to gigabit services through either fibre (619,968) or cable (354,074) infrastructure.
