Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Government's national broadband plan will provide high-speed broadband access to all premises in Ireland through commercial networks or by State intervention. The plan has catalysed investment so that to date approximately 1.4 million or 61% of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland can get commercial high-speed broadband of a minimum of 30 Mbps. In April, I signed a commitment agreement with Eir, which will provide broadband to an additional 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. Eir has committed to concluding this work over a 90-week period at an average of 500 premises passed per day. My Department is monitoring this roll-out. 

There are approximately 2.3 million premises in Ireland, of which approximately 542,000 or 23% are located in the intervention area on the map. These premises will require State intervention and are the focus for the procurement process. The remaining premises are located in the blue areas and will be served by commercial operators. A formal procurement process is in train to select a company or companies that will roll out a new high-speed broadband network within the State intervention area. The timeframe for the procurement continues to be dependent on a range of factors, including the complexities that may be encountered by the procurement team and the bidders during the procurement process.

Shorter-term measures to enhance broadband availability include the implementation of the mobile and broadband task force recommendations and the ComReg auction of the 3.6 GHz radio spectrum band, which resulted in the award of 15-year licences covering urban and rural regions across the country. In addition, I have secured an €8 million provision for RTE to allow it to free up the 700 MHz spectrum band, which is particularly suited to rural environments where the signal can travel long distances. These initiatives should assist in enhancing the quality of mobile phone and data services across Ireland and particularly in rural Ireland. 

My Department's website provides comprehensive information including broadband roll-out information per county, a copy of the Eir commitment agreement and information on the mobile and broadband task force.  

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