Network rollout to enter its final phase in 2026
Life
Pictured: Tara Collins and Clive Ryan, NBI; Barry O’Halloran, Adare Recreation & Community Complex, Manor Fields; T.J. Malone, NBI; Minister for Arts, Culture, Communications, Media and Sport Patrick O’Donovan; and David McCourt, NBI
More than 150,000 premises across Ireland are now connected to National Broadband Ireland’s high-speed fibre broadband network.
National Broadband Ireland (NBI) is the company delivering the Government’s National Broadband Plan. Some 420,000 homes, farms and businesses out of the 564,000 currently included in the NBP’s intervention area have now been passed and can order an NBI fibre connection.
The rollout of NBI’s network will enter its final phase in 2026. All preliminary survey and design activities across the Intervention Area are now complete, and NBI has already surpassed its 2025 end-of-year target of 420,000 premises passed. The company expects to exceed 440,000 premises passed by year-end, keeping it firmly on track to complete delivery of the main infrastructure rollout by the end of 2026.
More than 150,000 homes and businesses are now connected to the NBI network, with demand continuing to accelerate. In many areas where the network has been live for longer, take-up already surpasses 60%, reflecting strong national appetite for world-class fibre connectivity.
Ireland now ranks fifth in the EU’s Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), up 10 places over the past decade. A recent study by Telecommunications Industry Ireland estimated that digitally transacted output totalled €386 billion in 2024, accounting for 41% of all goods and services produced in Ireland and highlighting the critical importance of digital connectivity to the national economy.
The impact of Ireland’s growing digital infrastructure is also visible in national employment trends. According to the CSO, employment has expanded by around 440,000 jobs (19%) since before the pandemic, with particularly strong growth outside Dublin. The West and Mid-West regions, where the National Broadband Plan rollout is most advanced, have seen employment rise by 21% and 25% respectively since 2019.2
TJ Malone, CEO, National Broadband Ireland, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have connected 150,000 homes, farms and businesses to our network. Take-up has been exceptional and continues to grow as the benefits of fibre connectivity become better understood.
“Our focus now is finishing the main infrastructure deployment by the end of next year, as well as connecting more and more people to this life changing network. The work done so far puts us in an excellent position to achieve those goals. By the end of 2026, rural Ireland will have access to world-class digital connectivity, which will serve their needs for decades to come.”
David McCourt, founder and chairman of National Broadband Ireland, said: “National Broadband Ireland is not only on time and on budget, but we’re proving that Ireland can deliver on its ambitious policy goal to get residents and businesses signed up to realise the benefits of high-speed fibre broadband. As we mark 150,000 connected customers on NBI’s world-class fibre network, we’re incredibly proud of the successful delivery of the National Broadband Plan and excited to see rural communities embrace new opportunities as a result of this game-changing infrastructure.”
NBI customer Manor Fields in Adare, Co Limerick, is a community-owned amenity, that exemplifies how high-speed connectivity is helping rural communities thrive. The award-winning complex includes a floodlit all-weather astro pitch, full-size GAA and soccer pitches, and an all abilities playground. With the recent addition of its Pavilion building, the facility now also hosts a Remote Working Hub as part of the national Connected Hubs Network, offering dedicated desks, meeting rooms and a coffee shop for local entrepreneurs, freelancers and remote workers.
The Manor Fields makes use of a dual fibre broadband connection from NBI, ensuring reliable high-speed connectivity throughout the facility.
Barry O’Halloran, chairman of The Manor Fields Adare, said: “Having high-speed fibre broadband from NBI has transformed what’s possible here at The Manor Fields. It means our remote working hub can operate smoothly every day, no matter the weather, and it’s given local people and small businesses a space they can truly rely on. Our goal has always been to make The Manor Fields a resilient, inclusive facility that serves every part of the community, and reliable digital connectivity is now a key part of that.”
TechCentral Reporters