Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 April 2022
210. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the degree to which modern high-speed broadband is available throughout the country with particular reference to the need to meet the demands of industry and employment-giving industries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19120/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs set out in the Programme for Government, ensuring access to high-quality internet connections for people across Ireland is essential to the development of all parts of our country, socially and economically. Facilitating remote working and innovation opportunities is key to addressing climate change, adapting in an evolving economy, and competing internationally. A combination of commercial investment and the State led National Broadband Plan intervention will ensure access to high speed broadband in every part of the country no matter how remote. According to the most recent Quarterly Report on the Electronic Communications market by ComReg, for the period (1 October to 31 December) Q4 2021 which is available at www.comreg.ie/publication/quarterly-key-data-report-q4-2021/, total broadband subscriptions stood at 1.93m subscriptions, 87% of which had speeds equal to or greater than 30Mbps, while 50% of subscriptions were equal to or greater than 100mbps, up from 48.3% in Q3 2021.
The National Broadband Plan will provide a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in over 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools. The NBP network will offer users a high-speed broadband service with a minimum download speed of 500Mbps from the outset. A number of commercial operators have also announced further investment plans in high-speed broadband. Eir intends to roll out fibre to 1.9 million premises by the end of 2026, while SIRO has announced a €620 million upgrade and expansion of its fibre to the home network to reach 770,000 homes and business. Virgin Media has announced a €200 million investment to upgrade their network, delivering speeds of 10Gbps for 1 million premises over the next three years. Many other network operators and telecom service providers across the State also continue to invest in their networks.
