Local family reaps the benefits as a third of rollout in county is now complete

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 overall, there are almost 3,000 premises that can order or pre-order a high-speed connection in the Longford Town Deployment Area.

Up to 9,000 premises in County Longford 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 €34 million of Government investment under the NBP. 

Peter Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer of National Broadband Ireland, said: “National Broadband Ireland is delighted to announce that almost 3,000 premises in the Longford deployment area are ready to either order or preorder high-speed broadband on our network.

“We are calling on residents in the Longford deployment area to visit nbi.ie to check their Eircode to see if they can get connected and register for updates. It is our goal to give homes and businesses throughout Ireland the opportunity to experience the life-changing benefits that high-speed broadband provides. We understand the role that high-speed broadband now plays in everyday lives and want to give the people of Ireland every opportunity to avail of it.

“For families like the Ward family, multiple devices can be in use at the one time, be it for professional or personal use so it is extremely important they are provided with a high-speed network to help their day-to-day tasks run smoothly.”

Gerry Ward, one of the first customers in the Longford Deployment Area to be connected to the NBI network said: “Broadband has become a huge part of my everyday family life. We have children living and working abroad, reliable broadband is essential in helping us stay connected with our family wherever they are in the world. I was delighted when NBI Gigabit fibre became available to us through our local provider, ebroadband.  The NBI rollout to rural locations, no matter how remote, will certainly enable more and more people to live and work from their homes. This in turn provides a level of comfort and security for the years ahead!”

David Murphy, Director ebroadband– the Retail Service Provider selling services on the new fibre network in the area – commented: “The new connection to high-speed fibre broadband under the National Broadband Plan is bringing incredible benefits to ebroadband customers, like the Ward family. It’s always great to see how a reliable and fast broadband connection gives a customer flexibility and opportunity in their homes that didn’t exist before. We are delighted to partner with NBI on this project to provide the Ward family with a top quality service and combine our expertise to create the best service possible.

As the National Broadband Plan will be bringing more connections to the county, we are proud to collaborate with them again on further projects to help connect the people of Longford to the world of high-speed broadband.”

Cllr Turlough McGovern, Cathaoirleach, Longford County Council said: “Longford County Council welcomes NBI’s delivery of fibre infrastructure in the intervention areas of County Longford. We are delighted that homes, farms and businesses in the Longford Deployment Area can now benefit from a connection to high-speed broadband via the National Broadband Plan. We look forward to the opportunities that these connections will provide in our local areas and throughout the county.”

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 61 RSPs have already signed up to sell services on the NBI network and 48 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   

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, 559,000 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 rollout, the NBP provides for the delivery of Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) nationwide. 574 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.

BCPs 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 Longford include the Latin School Community Centre, Mullinalaghta Community Centre, and Carrickedmond GAA Club. 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. 

Photo caption: Pictured Paul Cahill and David Murphy, Directors ebroadband; Dee and Gerry Ward customers, Christine Collins, Broadband Officer at Longford County Council and Adam Ledwith, Media Manager at National Broadband Ireland. Photo credit: Melissa Mannion