Siro adds six new Cork towns to its high-speed fibre network

27 Mar 2023

From left: Michael McGrath, John Keaney and Danny Collins. Image: Siro

Fermoy, Youghal, Bandon, Kinsale, Mitchelstown and Passage West are all getting access to Siro’s high speed gigabit broadband network.

Siro, the broadband company set up as a joint venture between ESB and Vodafone, is rolling out its fibre broadband network to six new towns in Co Cork.

With a further eight towns in the pipeline, Siro confirmed that work is under way to roll out its high-speed fibre network in Fermoy, Youghal, Bandon, Kinsale, Mitchelstown and Passage West this year as part of a broader move to make gigabit connections more available across Ireland.

Total investment made by Siro in Co Cork will exceed €125m when the rollout is complete, which is €25m more than originally planned.

“Fibre broadband makes remote working a real possibility and it helps to breathe life back into our towns,” Minister for Finance Michael McGrath, TD, said of the announcement today (27 March).

“It is also great news for businesses and farmers who are now able to conduct more of their business online. Having a high-quality broadband connection provides opportunities for people to start up a new business and means that location is no longer a barrier for many start-ups.”

Siro commenced its full fibre broadband network rollout in Cork in 2017. Since then, its network in the county has grown significantly and is currently available to more than 60,000 premises representing more than 162,000 people.

At the national level, Siro has brought its network to nearly 480,000 homes and businesses across Ireland to date. The roll-out has spread across 126 cities and towns and is on track to reach 770,000 premises, or 2.2m people, by 2026.

John Keaney, chief executive of Siro, said that the latest announcement is good news for towns across Cork, many of whom have “had to endure poor connectivity” until now.

“Demand for high quality broadband across Cork remains very strong,” Keaney said. “Siro’s work in 2023 will expand our footprint in Cork this year even further. And beyond that, we are already looking ahead to more areas in Cork”.

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Vish Gain is a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com