Eir reveals first 100,000 rural locations to get 1Gbps fibre broadband

Eir this morning revealed the first 100,000 premises in rural locations around Ireland that will get 1Gbps broadband speeds in the next 12 months. The company also revealed that it is creating 50 new apprentice roles to help facilitate the rollout.

Eir said this morning that, in the next 12 months, some 100,000 homes and businesses across 200 communities in all 26 counties will get 1Gbps broadband.

Last month, Eir CEO Richard Moat told Siliconrepublic.com that, overall, Eir is targeting 300,000 homes and businesses in broadband-deprived areas and that Eir will bring its overall broadband base to 1.9m premises by 2020.

In many of the new rural locations, Eir will bypass the cabinet and connect directly to the exchange using fibre to the home (FTTH) technologies that will deliver speeds of up to 1Gbps. In effect, some rural locations previously deprived of the minimum broadband speeds will soon have superior speeds to their urban counterparts.

‘We already provide the fastest broadband speeds in the country and we are now extending those speeds beyond the town’
^{– CAROLAN LENNON, OPEN EIR}

Eir said this morning that by this time next year it will have reached 1.7m premises.

“We are the only provider with a truly national plan to connect rural communities across Ireland to high-speed broadband,” said Carolan Lennon, the managing director of Eir’s wholesale arm Open Eir.

“We already provide the fastest broadband speeds in the country and we are now extending those speeds beyond the town. Last June, we committed to extend the reach of our commercial rollout as far as possible. Our announcement today is testament to our ongoing support of the economic recovery and rejuvenation of rural Ireland using best-in-class technology.”

Eir to take on 50 new apprentices

Eir also revealed that it is to hire 50 new apprentices who will be trained with direct access to the new FTTH technology that Eir is rolling out in rural locations.

The structured two-year programme will provide on-the-job learning, one-to-one coaching and formal classroom training. Successful applicants will also receive a Level 6 FETAC Telecommunications Access Networks Technology Major Award. Eir will be working with Solas on the ongoing expansion of this programme – which is scheduled to continue in 2017, and beyond.

“The jobs will be based across Ireland and we have been very clear to date on our determination to support rural employment by hiring people from their local communities,” said Orla Coughlan, chief human resources officer at Eir.

“Successful applicants will be trained and taught a range of skills to help build and maintain our fibre network throughout the country.”

The first 100,000 locations in rural Ireland to get 1Gbps FTTH from Eir

Carlow: 690 premises

Cavan: 1,950 premises

Clare: 1,330 premises

Cork: 5,440 premises

Donegal: 14,240 premises

Dublin: 3,630 premises

Galway: 12,900 premises

Kerry: 8,010 premises

Kildare: 4,200 premises

Kilkenny: 1,860 premises

Laois: 1,090 premises

Leitrim: 710 premises

Limerick: 4,130 premises

Longford: 930 premises

Louth: 7,570 premises

Mayo: 2,470 premises

Meath: 7,410 premises

Monaghan: 1,330 premises

Offaly: 1,560 premises

Roscommon: 2,040 premises

Sligo: 2,940 premises

Tipperary: 2,070 premises

Waterford: 3,190 premises

Westmeath: 3,410 premises

Wexford: 9,540 premises

Wicklow: 2,160 premises

Rural broadband image via Shutterstock