ESB in Emerald Bridge JV to connect its fibre network to major UK cities

4 Dec 2012

ESB Telecoms has forged a deal with Geo Networks in the UK that will see the ESB’s 1,300km fibre network in Ireland connect with all the major cities across the UK via the Emerald Bridge Fibres Cable.

Using the shortest subsea route with modern fibre technology, UK and Irish businesses will have access to a low-latency 100Gbps network.

It is understood that a number of multinationals have already signed up to use the service, which is optimised for heavy data users, like data centre operators and mobile and fixed-line carriers, as well as firms in the digital and financial sectors.

Infrastructure boost

“We are committed to leveraging our capability and assets to deliver value for customers,” said John McSweeney, head of innovation at ESB.

“The new fibre connection to the UK is a natural extension of ESB Telecom’s existing fibre network. Companies based here can now directly connect to over 100 data centres and key internet exchanges in London and elsewhere in the UK through a single supplier. 

“This is a huge boost to Ireland’s communications infrastructure, which will help to attract high growth, data-intensive companies to locate here,” McSweeney said.

The Emerald Bridge Fibres Cable was formed in July this year as a 50:50 joint venture between the ESB and Geo Networks to deploy a 96-fibre cable connecting the two companies’ fibre networks.

“The combination of network reach in the UK and Ireland, our commercial model, 10 years of service excellence and the design of this sub-sea connection will provide what we believe is the preferred choice for organisations looking to prioritise low-latency, unlimited bandwidth and reducing their total cost of ownership,” Geo Networks’ chief executive Chris Smedley added.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com