It is not just sumo that occupies the hearts and minds of Japanese sports fans, as this year’s Rugby World Cup is proving on a rapidly increasing basis.

The National Broadband Plan has been thrown into fresh confusion after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government will consider Eir’s claim it could deliver it for less than €1bn.

The Taoiseach has indicated that the Government could restart the National Broadband Plan (NBP) tender process after Eir claimed they could deliver the high speed network for one third of the current price.

The former state telephone company, Eir, will today claim it could have delivered the Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) for under €1bn, one-third of its estimated final cost.

The communications regulator says introducing 5G for internet access would not meet the needs of everyone living in rural Ireland.