40,478 homes and businesses in Donegal now have access to the network following investment of more than €40 million by eir in the county.
On completion, 71,000 premises in Donegal will be fibre enabled.
In Donegal, the roll-out programme is already 57% complete, giving local communities and businesses access to internet speeds of up to 10gbps, roughly 100 times faster than the average connection.
eir has committed to rolling out its Gigabit Broadband network to 1.9 million front doors, or 84% of homes and businesses in Ireland, by the end of 2026.
The project will be completed two years ahead of the Government’s target to achieve nationwide high-speed broadband coverage of speeds in excess of 1,000 MB per second. It is expected that National Broadband Ireland, which is also rolling out at speed now, will deliver fibre connections to the remaining 16% of premises in the country by 2028, resulting in total fibre coverage before the end of the decade.
The network build has been supported by more than one billion euro of investment to date, with another €250 million of investment planned each year to the end of 2026. Approximately a quarter of a million additional premises will gain access to high-speed fibre to the home during each remaining year of the roll-out.
Commenting on the milestone Oliver Loomes, eir CEO said:
“I’m delighted that eir’s fibre roll-out sees Ireland become one of the best countries in Europe for broadband internet access. Last year we were in the top eight for fibre access; this year I expect we’ll be in the top five.
This is a major breakthrough for Ireland to become a top digital nation and it is in large part due to the efforts of our incredible teams who have worked tirelessly, in all conditions, to get this vital project done and connect homes and businesses for a better Ireland.
Similarly, the remarkable commitment of our shareholders to investment in this country’s future cannot go without acknowledgement, resulting not only in more than one million premises gaining access to our Gigabit Broadband, but in extensive 5G ultrafast mobile coverage, which is now available in 510 towns and cities across Ireland.”
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