Survey work to bring high-speed fibre broadband to three islands off Cork to begin
NBI confirmed that it has begun engineering survey works on Bere Island off Cork as part of its plan to bring minimum internet speed of 500Mbps to its 250 or so premises.
Survey work to bring high-speed fibre broadband to three islands off Cork is finally set to begin but it will be the middle to the end of next year before it is available to islanders.
The news came as National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the group rolling out the network to more than half a million premises nationwide under the government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), defended its pace of delivery in Kerry, where just half of the 28,000 premises it will ultimately serve can order a connection, but where the take-up rate is below the national average.
NBI chief executive, TJ Malone, told Kerry County Council on Monday that its network now serves 13,512 premises all over the county.
“Over 3,300 premises have already connected, which is below the average take-up rate nationally, so we are strongly encouraging Kerry residents to visit our website and enter their eircode to check their status,” he said.
He said work is under way on the broadband network in the Black Valley, a notorious communications blackspot, and to deliver the network to more than 4,000 premises in Listowel and over 1,000 premises in Sneem.
“We expect all of these premises to be able to connect by the end of this year,” Mr Malone said.
"Engineering surveys are largely complete in the rest of county and all premises will have moved into the design and build phase by the end of 2024.”
Meanwhile, NBI confirmed that it has begun engineering survey works on Bere Island off Cork as part of its plan to bring minimum internet speed of 500Mbps to its 250 or so premises.
NBI representatives will be on the island this week to provide information to residents on how and when it will deliver the broadband infrastructure but a spokesperson confirmed that islanders will have to wait until October to December 2025 before the network is ready for use.
Similar survey work is due to start on Sherkin and Cape Clear islands soon where the network is due to be delivered between March and May 2025.
Following the completion of the survey and design work, construction on the network has begun in north and west Cork to bring high-speed fibre broadband to almost 10,000 homes, farms, and businesses.
About 5,800 premises in the Courtmacsherry and Rathclaren areas near Clonakilty and over 3,800 premises in the Rathcormac and Watergrasshill areas of Fermoy are set to benefit.
Under the NBP, the Department of Communications has identified 227 deployment areas nationwide, with some 564,000 premises, where commercial operators are not currently providing access to high-speed broadband or do not intend to.
There are almost 82,000 homes, farms, commercial businesses, and schools in the Cork intervention area, which is earmarked for an investment of €314m in the delivery of the new high-speed fibre network.
Mr Malone said considerable progress has been made across Cork with high-speed fibre broadband now available to order for over 6,500 premises near Templemartin, 2,300 premises around Youghal, over 4,700 in Carrigaline, over 9,500 in Midleton, almost 900 in the Tallow deployment area and over 2,100 in Rathmore.
NBI has urged people in the various intervention areas to visit https://nbi.ie/eoi/ and sign up for updates and estimated connection dates.
National Broadband Ireland (NBI) says its high-speed fibre broadband infrastructure is already live on 10 islands including:
- Hare Island and Long Island off Cork;
- Turbot Island and Inishturk South Island off Galway;
- Inishlyre Island and Collanmore Island off Mayo;
- Inishfree Island, Rutland Island, Eadarinis Island, and Eighter Island off Donegal.
NBI says surveying works are complete on seven islands including:
- Dursey Island and Horse Island off Cork;
- Valentia Island off Kerry;
- Inish Biggle Island, Acaill Beag, and Achill Island off Mayo;
- Owey Island off Donegal.
NBI says engineering survey works are now starting on three islands:
- Bere Island, Cape Clear Island, and Sherkin Island, all off Cork.
- Surveying works are pending for seven islands including:
- Inis Oirr Island, Inis Meáin Island, Inis Mór Island, and Inishbofin Island off Galway;
- Clare Island off Mayo;
- Arranmore Island and Tory Island off Donegal.
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