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

I have given a detailed outline on the current status of the procurement process in my responses to the priority questions on today's order paper.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

The Deputy will be aware that this procurement process will select a bidder, or bidders, who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network to remote and rural areas not served by commercial operators. The successful bidder, or bidders, will build, maintain and operate this State intervention network for the next 25 years. Last Tuesday, 26 September 2017  was the closing date for bidders to submit their detailed solutions in the procurement process and I can confirm that my Department received submissions from two bidders. These bidders were Eircom Limited and the Granahan McCourt, enet, SSE, John Laing Group plc consortium. This is a significant and positive milestone in the process and the path to a digitally equal Ireland. The submissions received means that we are at the final stages of this procurement process.

My Department's specialist national broadband plan, NBP, team will now evaluate these two submissions over the coming weeks, with the expectation that very early in 2018 bidders will be invited to submit final tenders.

I am confident that the combination of existing commercial investment and the State intervention will make Ireland an exemplar in Europe and beyond, in terms of providing high speed services to all citizens regardless of where they live or work.

Deputy Ó Cuiv is right. It is easy to physically string the cable from pole to pole. As he knows, because he travels across rural Ireland just as I do, it is not as simple as that because some of these poles are red rotten and have to be replaced. Some have overhanging trees, some are missing altogether. There is much labour intensive work to be carried out in advance. It is not just as simple as sticking one piece of fibre to the other because light is being transferred through it. The connection has to be seamless. There are very specialised staff who do that. That is why the two bidders in the State intervention phase of the national broadband plan have decided to roll out fibre rather than any other solution as the main source of high speed broadband across Ireland.

The Deputy is right, it is amazing that this is not being rolled out elsewhere. As I said before the Deputy came into the House, we are now the global leader, and I am open to correction on this, in that 13% of our premises outside of our cities have access to pure fibre. That is unheard of anywhere in the world. That will continue to ramp up over the months and years to come. I believe that by 2020 a minimum of 91% of premises will have access to high speed broadband. I believe it will be higher than that because of the progress we have made in the 3.6GHz spectrum. We are the first country to auction off spectrum that can take 5G. Several companies that are considering rolling out high speed wireless and mobile point to point services have already been to me but I am not going to commit myself to a figure higher than 91% until I can stand over it. The Deputy knows as well as I do that people are sick and tired of promises that are not fulfilled. I am not going to give a figure until I know that I can stand over it. I believe it will be higher than 91% but I am not going to say that until I know exactly.

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