Over 50,000 Cork Premises Can Now Access High-Speed Fibre Broadband

More than 50,000 homes and businesses across Cork can now connect to high-speed fibre broadband, as National Broadband Ireland's network rollout continues across the county.

National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company delivering the new fibre-to-the-home network under the National Broadband Plan on behalf of the Government, announced today that 54,084 premises across Cork can now pre-order or order high-speed broadband services. The milestone represents significant progress in connecting rural communities including Carrigaline, Kanturk and Midleton.

Cork County will receive €314 million of Government investment under the National Broadband Plan, which aims to deliver minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to 82,000 premises in the county's State Intervention Area. The initiative represents the biggest investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification.

TJ Malone, Chief Executive Officer of National Broadband Ireland, said:

"We're proud to see almost 6,700 homes and businesses in Co Cork now connected to the NBI network. The National Broadband Plan rollout is enabling real change in how rural communities live and work, from online learning and business growth to better access to health and public services."

Nationally, NBI has now passed almost 420,000 homes, farms and businesses, with over 149,000 connected. The average take-up rate of 35% exceeds projections and international comparisons, surpassing 50% in areas where the network has been live for 18 months.

NBI operates as a wholesale network provider, meaning it does not sell fibre broadband directly to customers. Instead, 72 retail service providers have signed up to sell services on the NBI network, with 66 currently certified to provide connections.

Cork residents can check their Eircode on the NBI website to see if their premises is ready to connect. The website is regularly updated with estimated connection dates, and residents can sign up for email alerts to receive notifications as works progress in their area.

In advance of the full fibre-to-the-home rollout, the National Broadband Plan has established 955 Broadband Connection Points nationwide, including sports clubs, community centres and tourist sites. In Cork, these include Aubane Community Centre, Laharn Heritage Centre and Coláiste Phobal Cléire. Primary schools in the Intervention Area are also now connected for educational access.