Broadband proposal: Serious plan or a load of hot Eir?

Eir’s projected costs for the National Broadband Plan are becoming more confusing by the day. Its dramatic recent intervention, promising to provide the service for €1bn, has forced the Government to think again about the rollout of a service that was set to cost €2.9bn.

After they made public this suggestion, the Taoiseach questioned in the Dáil why its indicative bid, made before it dropped out of the tendering process, was €2.75bn. In response, Eir argued that the higher figure was driven by strict conditions imposed by the Government for providing the service but that it was confident it could do it for €1bn.