Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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141. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the role his Department takes on ensuring access to broadband and telecommunication services in rural communities; if he has plans to address the lack of coverage for both broadband and mobile signal in many areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14932/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The roll-out of infrastructure for mobile telecommunications services in Ireland is primarily a matter for private mobile network operators, operating on a commercial basis in a liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). ComReg is statutorily independent in the exercise of its functions in accordance with section 11 of the Communications Regulation Act 2002.

ComReg completed a Multi-band Spectrum Award in January 2023 to assign long term rights of use in four spectrum bands to enable the market to provide improved services to meet increasing consumer demand for mobile data and new services. This award represents a 46% increase in the harmonised spectrum assigned for the provision of wireless broadband services in Ireland and includes significant coverage obligations for operators.

To assist consumers to choose the network provider that best meets their needs, ComReg continually updates and enhances its online national outdoor mobile coverage map (Service Coverage) available at www.comreg.ie, which provides clear information on where operators have good 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G coverage.

The Programme for Government 2025, sets a number of targets which include the completion of a high-speed fibre network to provide broadband access to 1.1 million people, including homes, farms, and businesses nationwide, by the end of 2026. The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the Government's initiative to deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland.

There are over 564,000 premises in the Intervention Area (IA). Design work has been completed by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) at 560,347 of all premises (99%) in the IA. There are 119,018 of those premises (35%) in the IA connected. 357,677 premises (63%) in the IA can order or pre-order broadband from NBI across all counties in mainly rural areas. NBI has also passed 344,819 premises (61%) in the IA. NBI are connecting around 4,000 premises to their fibre network per month. NBI expect to have passed over 420,000 premises by end of 2025. NBI has also signed contracts with 72 Retail Service Providers (RSP’s) with 68 of these having completed NBI’s onboarding process and they are selling services as connections become available.

My Department is aware of some evidence emerging, based on conversations with ComReg and commercial operators, that a portion of premises that do not form part of the intervention area may prove not to be commercially viable in terms of being connected to a gigabit network by 2028. The Department is investigating reasons for why such instances may arise with a view to identifying solutions. However, it is important to note that significant commercial rollout programmes by several operators are ongoing, and the scale of this potential problem can only be established upon completion of those commercial rollout programmes. My Department will continue to investigate this issue with relevant stakeholders such as ComReg and commercial operators and consider all options to inform potential future solutions.