National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company delivering the new future-proofed, high-speed Fibre-to-the-Home network under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) on behalf of the Government, has announced that the first premises in Monaghan have been successfully connected.

Up to 15,085 premises in County Monaghan are included in the State’s Intervention Area, which will see NBI deliver minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to homes, businesses, farms and schools. As the biggest investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification, the County will receive €60 million of Government investment under the NBP.

As a wholesale network operator, NBI does not sell fibre broadband directly to end users, rather it enables services from a range of broadband providers or Retail Service Providers (RSPs). As a wholesale provider, NBI will make the new Fibre-to-the-Home network available to all RSPs operating in the Intervention Area.

Some 50 RSPs have already signed up to sell services on the NBI network and 34 are certified as ready to start providing connections as of today. To see the retail broadband providers that are currently licensed to sell on the NBI™ network, visit NBI.ie/buy

David McCourt, Chairman of National Broadband Ireland, said: “National Broadband Ireland is delighted to be able to say that we have now commenced our first connections in Monaghan, which will enable users to experience the life-changing benefits that high-speed broadband provides. This is a key milestone for this intervention area.”

“As an increasing number of homes and businesses are being connected, we are confident that the rollout will continue to gather pace as we look to connect thousands more homes and businesses. We are acutely aware that people want access to high-speed broadband and our goal is to deliver that as quickly as possible.”

Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Rural and Community Development and Minister for Social Protection said: “I welcome today’s milestone of the first connections made to premises in Monaghan under the National Broadband Plan. This is a key development for the digital footprint of the area. It will enable small businesses to operate online efficiently and ensure the people of Monaghan have access to fit-for-purpose broadband. This is an important step towards ensuring that communities, homes, schools and businesses across County Monaghan have access to high-speed fibre broadband.”

Andrew McKeever, Managing Director of Net1, said: “The new connection to high-speed fibre broadband under the National Broadband Plan is going to bring incredible benefits to the people of Monaghan. We are delighted to work with NBI to connect our customers as part of the National Broadband Plan and we have already received some very positive feedback from our customers in Monaghan, who are experiencing some of the substantial benefits of high-speed fibre broadband.”

Sam Moffett, Managing Director of Moffett Automated Storage said: “Moffett Automated Storage depends on high broadband speeds to be able to connect to customer warehouses and keep customers happy. As a modern business, having access to high-speed broadband is essential. Being connected to the NBI network with Net1 has unlocked many opportunities for us that would have been out of reach with our previously slow internet connection.”

John McArdle, Broadband Officer for County Monaghan said “Monaghan County Council is delighted to see how local people and businesses are benefitting through a connection to high speed broadband via the National Broadband Plan. This development will bring a variety of new and exciting opportunities to the area”.

NBI contractors have been on the ground since January 2020 surveying townlands across the county. This involves physically walking the routes and documenting images, notes and measurements of the poles, cables and underground ducts in each area, and enables design solutions for the provision of the fibre network.

Under the National Broadband Plan, 554,000 premises nationwide are included in the Intervention Area, which was established by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to identify areas where commercial operators are not currently providing access to high-speed broadband or do not intend to.

Broadband Connection Points (BCPs)
In advance of the Fibre-to-the-Home roll out, the NBP provides for the delivery of Broadband Connection Points (BCP’s) nationwide. 493 of these sites, including Public BCPs, are now ‘live’. Public BCPs – which include sports clubs, community centres and tourist sites – will provide free public access to high-speed internet in the rollout area. Other BCP categories include schools and marts.
BCP’s will pave the way for rural communities to receive the benefits of broadband, from mobile working, e-learning and mobile banking, to digital tourism. You can view BCPs at /bcp-map/. An example of some of the locations of Broadband Connection Points in Monaghan include Tullycorbet Community Centre, The Wetlands Centre, Latton Community Centre, and Carn Resource Centre. Primary schools in the Intervention Area are also being connected for educational access as part of the NBP.
Keep up to Speed!
NBI is encouraging people to check their eligibility and register for updates at www.nbi.ie to receive regular notifications related to their own premises as works progresses in their area.

Image One – (Left to Right) Peter Hendrick, CEO of National Broadband Ireland, David McCourt, Chairman of National Broadband Ireland, Andrew McKeever, Managing Director of Net1, Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Rural and Community Development and Minister for Social Protection, and Sam Moffett, Managing Director of Moffett Automated Storage at Moffett Automated Storage in Clontibret, Co. Monaghan.