Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and suggest that, given his poetic elegance, by the time I sit down, Eir will have heard this has been raised in Leinster House. I appreciate the seriousness of the matter because connectivity is everything today in the modern era for work, education and quality of life.

Eir has announced, as part of its €1 billion capital investment programme, that it plans to invest €500 million to expand its Irish fibre network to some 1.4 million premises in urban areas. In August, Eir announced plans to expand its gigabit fibre network roll-out to a further 200,000 premises, bringing its planned deployment to 1.6 million premises. This includes all towns and villages across Kerry that are not part of the Eir fibre broadband roll-out. More than 28,000 premises in Kerry have been passed to date under Eir’s programme. Meanwhile, in early October 2021, SIRO announced phase 2 of its fibre broadband network roll-out. This includes extensive plans for the main towns and villages in Kerry. To date, SIRO has passed in excess of 16,000 homes and businesses as part of its Kerry fibre broadband roll-out programme. I will talk to both companies to ensure the work continues.

The roll-out of the national broadband plan in Kerry is proceeding. This State-led intervention will be delivered, as the Deputy is aware, by National Broadband Ireland, NBI, under a contract to roll out high-speed, future-proofed broadband network within the intervention area. This area covers 1.1 million people living and working in more than 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms, and 679 schools.

For the interest of the Deputy, I am advised by National Broadband Ireland that, at 31 January 2022, more than 295,000 premises have been surveyed nationally or have surveys under way, with in excess of 154,000 premises constructed or under construction across all counties, including Kerry. There are 27,183 premises in the intervention area in County Kerry, of which more than 17,500 have been surveyed by NBI. Surveying is completed in the deployment areas of Dingle, Rathmore, and Kilgarvan. Pre-works are under way in the deployment areas of Ballyheigue and Castlegregory and main works are under way in the deployment areas of Tralee and Killarney, with in excess of 5,000 premises now available for order or pre-order and more than 8,800 premises progressing well through construction. Further details are available on specific areas within County Kerry through the commercial operator websites and the NBI website, which provides a facility for any premises to query availability in this area.

The broadband connection points, which are a key element of the NBP in providing high-speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll-out of the fibre to the home network, in the Kerry context are now installed at Gneeveguilla, Tureencahill, Valentia Cable Station, St Fiachna’s Church, Old Railway Station Heritage Centre and community spaces in Cullenagh, Kielduff Community Centre, Chapeltown, Killeenliath, Kilmoyley Community Centre, Black Valley in Our Lady of the Valley Church, and I could go on. There is also a long list where the NBI has installed connectivity for national schools, but the list is too long, although it is quite extensive as well.

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