Micheál Martin
Ceist:419. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will report on his announcement of the national broadband plan on 7 May 2019. [20563/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 14 May 2019
Ceisteanna (419)
Freagraí scríofa
Every home, farm, school and business in Ireland will have access to high speed broadband - no matter where they are located - following the Government’s decision to approve the appointment of a preferred bidder to the National Broadband Plan.
Under this plan, Ireland will becomes one of the first countries in the world to ensure that those in rural areas have the same digital opportunities as those in urban areas.
This plan will ensure that rural Ireland will have the same opportunities as urban areas. It will:
- Provide broadband to 540K homes, farms and businesses involving laying of 146,000km of fibre
- High speeds of 150mbs per second increasing to 500mbs from year 10
- Same customer charges as in urban Ireland
- Operate for 25 years in a future proofed way.
The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. In 2012, less than 700,000, or 30% of all 2.4 million Irish premises had access to high speed broadband. Today, 74% of premises can access high speed broadband.
The State intervention is the subject of the procurement process to engage a company to build, operate and maintain the NBP State intervention network. I recently brought a recommendation to Government to confer Preferred Bidder status on Granahan McCourt, the remaining bidder in the NBP procurement process and Government agreed to this. The company established to deliver the NBP is called National Broadband Ireland (NBI)
The Government Decision of 7 May 2019 means that it is intended to award the State Intervention contract to NBI. This award is subject to the contract close, including finalisation of financial and legal documents. Deployment of the NBP State Intervention network will commence shortly after that.
In the first year of roll out, the Bidder will deploy approximately 300 Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) across all counties. It is anticipated that between 7 and 23 BCPs will be deployed in each county. BCPs will provide a community based high speed broadband service, enhancing online participation and allowing for the establishment of digital work hubs in these locations. The Bidder is aiming to pass 133,000 premises at the end of the second year, with 70-100,000 passed each year thereafter until roll out is completed.