The rollout of the National Broadband Plan has been completed in County Leitrim at a cost of €46 million.
National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, and Leitrim County Council have announced the completion of the National Broadband Plan’s main infrastructure build works in County Leitrim.
Leitrim is the ninth county to complete the main NBI infrastructure rollout, with the national deployment now in its final phase.
Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, said: “This marks an important milestone for Leitrim, with the completion of the National Broadband Plan rollout providing almost 12,000 homes, farms and businesses across the county with access to high-speed broadband.
“Government has invested €46 million to deliver this infrastructure in Leitrim, and that investment will have a lasting impact on communities right across the county. For a county with such a strong and dispersed rural population, reliable high-speed broadband is particularly important in supporting people to live, work and build their futures in their own communities.
“Whether it is a farmer using new technology, a local business reaching customers beyond Leitrim, a student accessing education, or someone working remotely from home, high-speed broadband is now an essential part of everyday life and economic activity.
“The National Broadband Plan is about making sure that where you live does not determine the opportunities available to you. The completion of the rollout in Leitrim is a significant achievement and a clear demonstration of our commitment to ensuring that rural communities have the infrastructure they need to thrive.
“I am delighted that this €46 million investment is now delivering for almost 12,000 homes, farms and businesses across Leitrim. The infrastructure is in place, the opportunity is there, and I look forward to seeing this investment support the continued growth and development of communities, farms and businesses across Leitrim.”
The milestone was marked at an event in The Hive, Leitrim’s Technology Enterprise Centre in Carrick-on-Shannon. Speakers highlighted how improved connectivity is supporting education, employment, remote working and enterprise, while providing homes, farms, businesses and schools in previously underserved areas with access to reliable, high-speed fibre broadband.
There are almost 12,000 premises in County Leitrim included in the State’s Intervention Area, where NBI is delivering minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to homes, businesses, farms and schools. The rollout represents €46 million of Government investment in the county, with over 3,600 premises already connected to the network.
Cathaoirleach of Leitrim County Council, Cllr Mary Bohan, commented: “I warmly welcome the completion of the main National Broadband Plan rollout across Leitrim, marking a major investment in the county’s future. Reliable, high-speed fibre broadband is essential infrastructure for rural communities, helping people to stay connected, work remotely, grow local enterprise, access education, healthcare services and public services regardless of where they live.
“The benefits of this investment will be felt across Leitrim for generations to come. It will support business growth, strengthen rural development, enable innovation and help ensure Leitrim remains an attractive place to live, work, invest and raise a family.”
Joseph Gilhooly, Chief Executive of Leitrim County Council, said: “The completion of the main National Broadband Plan rollout across County Leitrim is a significant achievement that reflects the strong partnership between Government, National Broadband Ireland, Leitrim County Council and local communities.
“Delivering infrastructure of this scale requires collaboration at every stage, and we are proud of the role Leitrim County Council has played in supporting the fibre broadband network rollout throughout the county. This milestone demonstrates what can be achieved when organisations work together with a shared commitment to improving the lives of citizens and strengthening the long-term resilience of our communities.”
Jenny Fisher, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland Deployment, said: “Completing the main infrastructure build works in County Leitrim is another significant moment for everyone involved in the National Broadband Plan. This has been a complex project, reaching some of the most rural and dispersed communities in the country. Through strong collaboration with the Government and Leitrim County Council, and thanks to the hard work of our deployment teams, contractors and communities on the ground, we have reached this milestone, with the main build remaining on track for substantial completion by the end of this year.
“Leitrim is one of nine counties where build is complete and we’re transitioning to steady state, including Kilkenny, Longford, Tipperary, Meath, Westmeath, Waterford, Dublin and Laois.
“We’ll continue to work with our partners in Leitrim and with broadband providers, to support connections to the network, including new builds, so that people can experience the benefits of high-speed fibre broadband.”
With construction now at an advanced stage nationwide, NBI has confirmed that the main build of the fibre network remains on track for substantial completion by the end of this year. The network will enable high-speed broadband access for 566,000 homes, farms and businesses across rural Ireland, an increase of 29,000 premises from the original 537,000 identified at the time of contract signing.
Across the country, over 523,000 premises can now order broadband through the National Broadband Plan, with almost 190,000 live connections to date.