Magnet Networks is to provide services directly to Northern Ireland, tapping into the €30m fibre cable project announced by Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan TD in the past few days.
The new cable is to be built by Magnet’s sister company Hibernia Atlantic Group, and will connect several locations in Northern Ireland, including Belfast, Armagh, Omagh and Strabane.
In addition, the fibre network will also facilitate Magnet connecting directly to a number of locations in the Republic, including Letterkenny, Drogheda, Dundalk and Monaghan.
“With the recent fibre-optic contract awarded to Hibernia Atlantic, providing our services directly to Northern Ireland is the next logical step for Magnet Networks,” said Mark Kellett (pictured), CEO of Magnet Networks.
“We will now be seeking to bring our telecoms services directly to businesses and homes in the Ulster region, an area that has long suffered from under-investment in infrastructure.”
At the moment Magnet Business, the business division of Magnet Networks, looks after its Northern Irish customers through an established partner network, including IT and telecom services companies Tibus and Atlus, both of which provide local business connectivity solutions within Northern Ireland.
Access to the high-speed fibre network being built as part of the Hibernia Atlantic project will allow Magnet to establish direct operations within the province during 2009.
Magnet’s existing network includes 40 unbundled exchanges in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Portlaoise, as well as extensive fibre assets across the country.
By Sorcha Corcoran
Pictured: Magnet CEO, Mark Kellett
