Next-Generation Ireland: 1 Million FTTx Connections

DUBLIN, IRELAND - Irish incumbent eircom Group announced that it would spend €100 million ($136 million) on Phase 1 of a plan to reach one million premises with high-speed broadband over the next four years. Like British Telecom, eircom will use fiber to the cabinet in most localities but plans some fiber-to-the-home deployments as well.

Locations for Phase 1 of eircom's rollout include communities in six counties across all four provinces, as well as major cities including Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick. Work is expected to commence this autumn and will continue through the summer of 2012.

Once Phase 1 is completed, fiber will pass more than 100,000 homes and businesses in the selected areas, providing speeds of 40 Mbps and beyond. Paul Donovan, CEO of eircom Group, says, “This is the next step in the rollout of high-speed broadband services. We have selected locations which have a geographical reach beyond Dublin and across the country. We believe there is a strong appetite for new fiber-based products and services that will be competitively priced.”