Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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621. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if the quality and speed of broadband will be improved over the next three years, particularly in County Kildare, if meeting the requirements of customers is a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45376/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The National Broadband Plan aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.

The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades and enhanced services. These very significant investments represent a step-change in the quality of broadband services available.

Last November I published a national high speed coverage map for 2016. The areas marked BLUE on the map represent those areas that will have access to commercial high speed broadband services.

The AMBER areas show the target areas for the State intervention. All premises within the AMBER areas will be included in the State's intervention.

The map allows all members of the public, be they business or residential, to see whether their premises or home will have access to commercial high speed broadband services by end 2016 or whether they will be included in the Government's proposed intervention.

It is anticipated that speeds of at least 30Mbps will be also delivered through the Government's intervention and the network will be designed to cater for future increased demand from consumers and business.

I am informed by the commercial operators that next generation broadband services have been rolled out to over 55,000 premises to date in County Kildare with over 12,500 more expected to be served by commercial investment. Approximately 20,500 remaining premises in Kildare will be covered either by further commercial investment or the proposed State intervention.

Over 40 responses were received following the publication of the NBP proposed Intervention Strategy in July last. Non-confidential versions of these submissions are being published and can be accessed at .

Meanwhile, my Department continues to review the technical and financial detail relating to potential new commercial investment proposals with a view to updating the intervention area Map.

I expect to proceed to formal procurement before the end of the year. The Government is determined to ensure that the network is built out as quickly as possible and engagement with industry stakeholders has indicated that this could be achieved within 3-5 years of the contract award.

In this context, the NBP proposes that through the combination of commercial investment and State intervention, 85% of addresses in Ireland will have access to high speed services by 2018 with an ambition of 100% coverage by 2020.