Eir owner Xavier Niel and Eir CEO Carolan Lennon at the launch of the company’s 5G network last year. Image: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography
The telecoms company said 5G is now available from 340 sites across Ireland, with more sites added weekly.
Eir has said that the availability of its 5G network in Ireland has increased more than threefold in the 11 months since the service was launched.
The telecoms company is continuing to expand and upgrade its mobile network as part of a €150m investment programme. It said 5G is now available from 340 sites across the country, with additional sites added weekly.
‘Throughout Covid-19, Eir has prioritised mobile capacity upgrades and coverage enhancements to facilitate remote working and connectivity’
– CAROLAN LENNON
“Reliable and fast connectivity are vital to supporting new ways of working, living, educating and keeping in touch,” said Eir CEO Carolan Lennon.
“Throughout the Covid-19 emergency, Eir has prioritised mobile capacity upgrades and coverage enhancements to facilitate remote working and connectivity for our customers on our 4G and 5G networks.”
Eir also said that more than 1,000 mobile sites have now been upgraded to deliver 4G coverage to customers across Ireland. It now has more than 99pc population coverage in 19 counties including Cavan, Dublin, Kilkenny, Limerick, Offaly, Sligo and Waterford.
5G is the next generation of mobile connectivity, offering top speeds of more than 1Gbps for customers with a 5G-enabled handset.
“ 5G provides download speeds of up to 10 times faster than 4G,” Lennon added. “It provides a more reliable connection and lower latency. Speeds of over 1Gbps mean that movies, music and games can be downloaded instantly.”
Speaking after the company’s full-year financial results were released earlier this month, Lennon said that Eir plans to roll out 5G to “every major town in Ireland” and continue passing more homes and businesses with ultrafast broadband.
All three major mobile networks in the country are now offering 5G connectivity to customers.
Earlier this week, Three Ireland switched on its 5G network, with a population coverage of 35pc. Meanwhile, Vodafone Ireland was the first company to launch a commercial 5G service in the country, beginning the roll-out of its next-generation network in August 2019.
