Written answers

Thursday, 2 June 2022

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

National Broadband Plan

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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103. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the total number of premises that will be passed by the roll-out of the National Broadband scheme; the date the contract was signed; the number of premises passed to date; the latest estimate as to when the whole programme will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28307/22]

Photo of Ossian SmythOssian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract, which was signed on 19 November 2019, to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area (IA) which covers 1.1 million people, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools.  The IA has increased in size from 537,596 premises at contract award to almost 560,000 premises today, due to approximately 2,000 new builds in the intervention area each quarter.The NBP roll out is a 7-year plan under the contract and deployment is due to be complete by the end of 2026. I am advised by NBI that as of 20 May 2022, over 327,600 premises have now been surveyed and over 175,300 premises are under construction or complete across 26 counties, demonstrating that the project is reaching scale. I am further advised that almost 67,700 premises are now available to order or pre-order a high-speed broadband connection across 23 counties, with over 56,600 premises passed across 22 counties and available for immediate connection.

The Department has worked with NBI to agree an Updated Interim Remedial Plan (UIRP) which recalibrates the targets for 2022 to take account of the knock on effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and other delays to the Programme. The revised target is 102,000 premises passed by the end of January 2023 (cumulative).  The focus is to continue to build momentum in the build programme, catching up on the delays experienced.

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