Eir reveals first 10 cities and towns to avail of new 5G network

24 Oct 2019

From left: Eir owner Xavier Niel and Eir CEO Carolann Lennon at the launch of the company’s 5G network. Image: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography

Eir is the second mobile operator in Ireland to launch a 5G network, with 20 locations planned to have access by the end of the year.

Following the launch of its new mobile network GoMo, Eir has announced that it has switched on its first 5G network in 10 towns and cities across the country, with mobile download speeds of more than 1Gbps.

A total of 100 5G sites have been deployed in this first roll-out, with plans to double this by Christmas. It will be followed by another 100 5G sites deployed in the new year.

Included in the first deployment are Ireland’s largest cities Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. Additionally, the towns of Carlow, Castlebar, Dundalk, Drogheda and Kilkenny are included in the launch.

When this year’s expansion is complete, a further 10 towns will have 5G connectivity. These include Athlone, Bray, Ennis, Killarney, Letterkenny, Navan, Sligo, Tralee, Trim and Wexford.

A map of Ireland showing current and future 5G site locations.

Image: Eir

How to get 5G

Those looking to avail of the network will need to have a 5G-ready phone and be a customer on the operator’s Connect Plus plan. So far, the only devices that can tap into the high-speed network sold by Eir include the Samsung A90 5G, the Samsung S10 5G, the Samsung Note 10+ 5G and the Huawei Mate 20X 5G.

“I am delighted to launch Eir’s 5G network, giving our customers widespread access to the next generation of mobile connectivity,” said Eir CEO Carolan Lennon at the launch today (24 October).

“With 5G, our customers will be able to download their favourite shows instantly, to stream high definition content without buffering and to enjoy lag-free low-latency gaming. Most significantly, it will substantially enhance business connectivity and we are proud to play our part in creating the strong telecoms infrastructure that is vital to Ireland’s continued growth.”

Eir’s launch comes a few months after Vodafone was the first operator to switch on its own 5G network in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford, with plans to expand in the months ahead and in 2020.

Market rival Three has also confirmed plans to roll-out its own network before the end of 2019.

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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