Milestone as 30,000th National Broadband connection made in Waterford

National Broadband Ireland announces Steinberg Fireplaces in Co. Waterford as its 30,000th connection to the broadband network. Pictured at Steinberg Fireplaces were Ossian Smyth, Minister of State for Communications, Marc Ó Cathasaigh TD, Peter Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland with Ciara Barry, Staff Member, Steinberg Fireplaces and Sinéad Bryan, Managing Director, Vodafone Business in Ireland. Picture: David Clynch

The National Broadband plan marked a major milestone with the 30,000th connection to the fibre network being made in County Waterford.

The achievement was celebrated by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) and Minister Ossian Smyth at Steineberg Fireplaces in Waterford which recently joined the network, availing of fibre service from Vodafone.

Speaking on the milestone, Chief Executive of NBI, Peter Hendrick said, "In the last six months, the number of connections to the National Broadband Ireland network has doubled, with 30,000 homes, farms and businesses now connected to our network."

Mr Hendrick also noted that 118,000 premises are ready to connect, with connections already in each of the 26 countries.

In Waterford, a third of the rollout is now complete, with 5,200 premises ready to connect to the National Broadband Plan.

Ossian Smyth, Minister of State for Communications, said, “I am happy to report that, through a combination of significant private and public investment, full-fibre broadband subscriptions have increased to over 463,000, representing nearly 19.5% coverage of all homes and businesses in the State." This is increasing at a rapid rate as networks continue to be rolled out and upgraded". 

The Government’s objective is that by 2028, through a combination of investment by commercial operators and the National Broadband Plan, every premise in Ireland will have access to Gigabit broadband.

Minister Smyth added: “A growing number of businesses and industries, particularly digitally intensive enterprises, require Gigabit connectivity to develop and expand business models and applications to produce, distribute and sell goods and services more competitively.” 

Managing Director of Vodafone Business in Ireland Sinéad Bryan said that it was "fantastic" how fibre broadband helps customers like Steineberg Fireplaces in Waterford, helping them to unlock new opportunities and enhance connectivity.

Mary Power, owner of Steineberg Fireplaces and a recently connected customer in the Waterford Deployment Area, said they were "delighted to now be connected to the National Broadband Ireland network. 

"As a consumer-facing business, we understand the importance of being able to connect with our customers both in-store and online, be it through online payment facilities or through social media platforms."

“Having a good broadband connection has become extremely important for our family business, particularly since the pandemic. We now have an online shop on our website where customers can select their chosen fireplace from the comfort of their own home."