Written answers
Thursday, 26 June 2025
Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Infrastructure
Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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147. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to detail improvements and actions he will take, along with National Broadband Ireland, to ensure that businesses and residents are not left without internet services for an extended period of time, as has happened after storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34633/25]
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Following extensive service disruption to telecommunications networks during Storm Éowyn, I have met with both mobile and fixed telecoms providers on the necessary measures they are taking to build further resilience into these networks.
I made it clear to telecoms providers at the recent Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce (MPBT) that there must be a significant improvement in response times to restore services following future storm events.
I have written to individual operators seeking more detail on the actions that they have already taken since the storm and any remaining actions they intend to take before next winter.
My Department is also reviewing the statutory powers available to the Minister and ComReg, in relation to requirements on operators, regarding:
- Storm-related information gathering and sharing.
- Network integrity, i.e. maintaining networks in a proper state.
- Obligations regarding network restoration and related timeframes.
- Informing consumers about network & service restoration.
NBI have several new measures in progress at present, including:• liaising with the ESB to prioritise the restoration of electrical supply to high-priority NBI sites, • the sourcing of additional generators, and • enhancing internal workflow systems to facilitate swifter and more efficient repairs and improved communications with customers.
It should be noted that NBI is building a resilient fibre network, with diverse fibre routes out of their exchanges, which provide a backup, in the event of a fibre break. Once the national network is fully deployed, these resilient routes will all be in place, adding further resilience and robustness to the network.
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