Eir launches 5G broadband for Irish homes and businesses

1 Jun 2021

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The telecoms company is rolling out 5G broadband with a ‘no limits’ data plan of €44.99 a month on a 12-month contract.

Remote working and pandemic restrictions have put conversations around Ireland’s connectivity issues back in the spotlight in the past year.

Now, telecoms company Eir is rolling out a 5G broadband offering to help homes and businesses that cannot currently access high-speed wired broadband. Three Ireland launched a similar service at the end of last year.

Eir customers will be able to connect up to 20 devices in their home, with a ‘no limits’ data plan costing €44.99 a month on a 12-month contract. There is also a one-off cost of €99 for the 5G broadband device.

Eir’s managing director of consumer and small business, Susan Brady, said the pandemic has highlighted the need for reliable, fast connectivity.

“5G technology can keep us connected at home, at work and on the go. In areas where fibre broadband is not yet available this product can provide a real alternative.”

Focus on 5G connectivity has ramped up in the last year, with the mass move to remote working playing a significant role in the need for strong connectivity.

Eir has been rapidly expanding its 5G footprint in Ireland over the last year. In September 2020, the company said the availability of its 5G network had increased more than threefold since the service launched in 2019. In April of this year, its 5G network reached 57pc of the Irish population, available from more than 900 sites across the country.

Other players in the Irish 5G market include Three, which switched on its 5G network in September last year. Vodafone Ireland began the roll-out of its 5G services in 2019, and also launched Ireland’s first standalone private 5G network earlier this year in Mullingar.

Last month, Dublin-based company Imagine announced that it is speeding up delivery of its own 5G fixed broadband network across regional and rural parts of the country on the back of pandemic-driven demand for broadband.

Jenny Darmody is the editor of Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com