Shannon Chamber Member BBnet Involved in Successful Delivery of Showcase 1Gbit-per-second Fibre to the Home Project in rural Ireland

 

Conal Henry, chief executive, enet pictured with An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD., and Barry O’Halloran, CEO, BBnet at the launch of enet’s fibre broadband network.

The successful delivery, by telecoms network provider enet, of a 1-Gigabit-per-second fibre broadband network in rural North Kerry is not just the first step in the Government’s plan to eliminate the digital divide between rural and urban areas, but is potentially a significant boost for counties Clare and Limerick, where high-speed broadband connectivity is an essential requirement in rural areas, “said Barry O’Halloran, chief executive of Shannon Chamber member company BBnet.

 BBnet participated in enet’s €650,000 Co Kerry pilot project, which was constructed and activated to showcase enet’s capability to deliver the Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP). It is expected that once the NBP tender process is completed that ultra fast broadband will be rolled-out to all counties in Ireland, over the next five years. 

 The Co Kerry network, which was officially launched last Friday by An Taoiseach, is a significant first step in this direction and BBnet, as one of the service providers who, facilitated by enet’s open access model, can now provide their broadband and telephony services across this world-class fibre infrastructure.

 “The successful activation in Kerry, where customers are now enjoying ultra-fast broadband speeds is a first step in eliminating the country’s digital divide, and we look forward to being a contributor to the National Broadband Plan,” added Mr O’Halloran.

 As stated by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny last week:  “The National Broadband Plan is an essential component of the Government’s plan to keep the recovery going by providing the necessary infrastructure for economic growth and job creation. The Government is determined to eliminate the digital divide between rural and urban areas by delivering high speed broadband to all non-commercial rural areas by 2020.   Funding for the roll-out of this has been allocated in the Government’s capital plan.”

 BBnet started out 10 years ago to provide broadband in rural areas, where larger providers would not deliver their broadband services. At that time 1Mbit/sec, was a fast internet connection. 10 years later, 1,000 Mb/sec (or 1Gb/sec) is considered to be a fast connection.

 “We are delighted to now be in a position to provide these speeds, as demonstrated in rural North Kerry, as part of the enet’s fibre to the home project, and showcase our capability to deliver the National Broadband Plan, through enet.

 “BBnet is passionate about providing quality broadband services in rural areas and have invested to be in a position to be able to utilise the latest fibre technologies to provide ultra-fast broadband, as fibre infrastructure becomes more prevalent. This Co Kerry pilot project is one more important step in bridging the rural/urban digital divide,” added Mr O’Halloran.