Kilkenny has become the first county in Ireland to have full broadband coverage, which marks the first in a series of county completion milestones to be reached this year.
More than 19,000 premises in Kilkenny are included in the State’s Intervention Area, where National Broadband Ireland (NBI) is delivering minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to homes, businesses, farms and schools.
Founder and chairman of National Broadband Ireland David McCourt said today marks a celebration of achievement.
He added that next on the list are Westmeath, Longford and Tipperary, which will be completed this month, and said the project will be fully completed by the end of the year,
“There is nothing faster than fibre broadband and nothing more robust,” he said, adding that Ireland had a high ambition from the beginning to not leave anyone behind when it comes to broadband access.
Speaking on RTE’s Morning Ireland, Mr McCourt said that the NBI has been covering “intervention areas” highlighted by the State, but that more homes and businesses have been added to the list along the way over the years.
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Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan will mark the milestone at an event in Kilkenny, which aims to highlight the role of high-speed connectivity in supporting the arts, media and creative sectors.
Speaking before the event, the minister said the NBP is the largest infrastructure project since rural electrification and is reshaping rural Ireland.
“The focus is now firmly on completing the national rollout and ensuring that location is no longer a barrier to high-speed, reliable fibre broadband. Today’s milestone is proof of the progress that has been made, and the momentum now carrying us through the final phase of delivery.”
