The latest Quarterly Key Data Report (QKDR) for Q3 2022 was published by ComReg on 8 December 2022 and reported that there are 1.6 million fixed broadband subscriptions in Ireland. 88.6% of all fixed broadband subscriber lines had been sold speeds which were equal to or greater than 30Mbps.
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.
Through commercial investment, complemented by the State through the National Broadband Plan all premises will have access to high-speed broadband in every part of the country no matter how remote. The Government remains committed to the roll out the National Broadband Plan and is ensuring an agile and responsive approach to the delivery of this key large scale project with €2.7 billion committed to the Plan in what is a constantly evolving environment.
Since contract award over 20,000 additional premises have been added to the Intervention Area, 85% of which are new builds (AMBER premises) and approximately 15% are premises that will not in fact be served by commercial operators and which have now been reclassified. The contract caters for the inclusion of new buildings over the life of the programme. Since the contract was signed, the Intervention Area has increased to over 566k premises and continues to grow each quarter, primarily to ensure the inclusion of new build premises.
