Cost to State of rolling out broadband ‘at over €1bn’

The cost of rolling out broadband across the State could cost the Government well over €1bn — considerably more than currently anticipated, an expert has claimed.

John Earley, CEO at business broadband provider Airfibre, said he feared current funding levels provided by the Government to shore up the National Broandband Plan (NBP) would fall short, leaving many rural homes without internet connections.

The NBP is government policy which aims to deliver high-speed broadband to every citizen and business in Ireland. Its aims to achieve 100% coverage in three to five years of the start of large-scale rollout.