UPC Ireland have signed a seven-figure deal with E-net, which oversees Ireland’s metropolitan area networks (MANs), to hook up UPC services to the MANs in Athlone, Carlow, Portlaoise and Sligo.
The deal is for 10 years and provides UPC with access to the four towns’ MANs, enabling significant expansion of UPC’s core network. The fibre optic MAN rings will allow UPC to build capacity into its network and roll out high-bandwidth triple-play services.
More than 600,000 people use MANs for broadband connectivity in Ireland, E-net said.
“This deal is great news for businesses and residential consumers in Athlone, Carlow, Portlaoise and Sligo,” said Conal Henry, CEO, E-net. “These towns already benefit from their fibre optic MAN through increased competition between broadband providers and lower prices. This new deal gives consumers and businesses yet another high-quality telecommunications option.”
“This partnership demonstrates UPC’s drive and ambition to stimulate the rollout of advanced technologies to support local consumers and businesses,” commented Robert Dunn, CEO of UPC Ireland. “Consumers will realise the benefits of increased competition in each locality as they receive higher broadband speeds at a lower price.”
By Niall Byrne
