Tag: #NBI

NBI and GAA+ partner to reward broadband customers with streamed championship games

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 an exciting new partnership with GAA+, the GAA’s live and on-demand streaming platform.

GAA+ is offering a schedule of c.40 exclusive games for the Championship 2026 season and those new customers ordering a broadband service on the NBI network before 31st March can receive an annual subscription pass valued at €95.

By combining next‑generation broadband infrastructure with modern sports broadcasting, the reward highlights how digital connectivity can bring local sporting moments to audiences right across rural Ireland and the GAA heartland.

Jarlath Burns, GAA President, expressed his excitement at the launch of this partnership: “The GAA is rooted in every community in Ireland, regardless of its urban or rural setting. Making GAA+ as accessible and enjoyable as possible remains a consistent aim and this new partnership with National Broadband Ireland clearly speaks to that ambition.”

“Our platform will once again provide a comprehensive live and exclusive broadcast schedule to supporters across web, connected TVs and apps throughout the Championship from Saturday, April 11th. Working closely with National Broadband Ireland will ensure thousands of our members can avail of enhanced connectivity in their area and look forward to coverage from Provincial Championship and All-Ireland series stages on any connected device in the comfort of their own home.”

The partnership forms part of NBI’s wider efforts to enhance end user experience and highlight the everyday benefits that high‑speed broadband can bring to households and communities.

Speaking of the announcement T.J. Malone, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland: “We are very proud to announce our partnership with GAA+ considering that both organisations have such a strong focus on community. NBI’s rollout of high‑speed broadband infrastructure into rural areas is creating new opportunities for families, clubs and supporters to stay connected – whether that is working, learning or watching their county team compete.”

“We see our partnership with GAA+ as a great way to support broadband take-up by giving new customers that order before the end of March, access to 40 exclusive streamed games.” Mr. Malone concluded: “We also believe watching the GAA+ games over the NBI network will enhance the streaming experience.”

More than 451,000 premises across Ireland can now order fibre broadband on the NBI network, with over 165,000 already having done so.

NBI end of year update: over 450,000 homes, farms and businesses now ready to connect

National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company responsible for delivering the Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), has announced its final quarterly update for the contract year ending 31 January 2026, confirming that all surveying and design work is now complete and that 82% of the entire network is built with those premises available for a connection. The remainder (18%) is under construction with the main infrastructure build scheduled to complete this year.

Minister for Arts, Culture, Communications, Media and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, T.D., said:

“The progress being delivered under the National Broadband Plan represents one of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects ever undertaken by the State. With the rollout now running ahead of schedule nationally, the scale of achievement is clear and demonstrates what can be delivered through sustained investment and a strong focus on delivery.

 

“Tens of thousands of kilometres of fibre have been laid, and communities right across the country are now seeing the tangible benefits of high-speed connectivity. This programme is transforming rural Ireland and reflects the Government’s commitment to ensuring that every home, farm and business, no matter how remote, can participate fully in Ireland’s digital future.”

 

Performance update:
By contract year end (31 January 2026), NBI has delivered:

  • 100% of all surveying and design work is complete;
  • 100% of the network either built or currently under construction;
  • 451,433 premises passed, representing a 33% year-on-year increase;
  • 164,708 premises connected, representing a 43% year-on-year increase.
  • 63,064km of fibre cable laid, enough to circumnavigate the Earth 1.5 times.

There are now 451,433 homes, farms and businesses passed with NBI fibre across the National Broadband Plan Intervention Area. When a premises is passed, an order can be placed to connect to high-speed fibre broadband on the NBI network through a choice of over 50 broadband providers actively selling on the network.

 

According to the recent ComReg Quarterly Report, more than one million premises across Ireland are now subscribed to fibre-to-the-home broadband, and National Broadband Ireland is encouraging premises in the Intervention Area to check availability in their area and order today.

 

TJ Malone, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, said: “This year’s results demonstrate the sheer scale and momentum of the National Broadband Plan. With every part of the network now designed and either built or under construction, and over 450,000 premises ready to connect, we are firmly into the final delivery phase of this once-in-a-generation infrastructure project.

 

More than 164,000 homes, farms and businesses are already connected to high-speed fibre on the NBI network, transforming how people live, work and do business in rural Ireland. With the final phase of construction now underway, we are on track to complete the main rollout by the end of this year.”

 

NBI’s fibre broadband rollout under the National Broadband Plan is delivering broadband services to what is known as the State’s Intervention Area, which includes the most remote and rural parts of Ireland where commercial operators have no plans to deliver high-speed broadband. The Intervention Area now stands at 566,000 premises which signals an increase of c.29,000 since the time of contract signing.

 

People living and working in rural Ireland can enter their Eircode on the NBI website, www.nbi.ie, to check if their home or business is included in the rollout and find out how to get connected.

 

As the main rollout phase of NBI’s network nears completion, demand for connections continues to grow strongly. 164,708 premises are now connected to the NBI network, with take-up rates continuing to exceed original projections and international benchmarks, particularly in areas where the network has been live for longer.

 

NBI is now fully focused on the final stages of construction and accelerating connections across the country, ensuring every premises in the Intervention Area can avail of future-proofed, high-speed broadband.

 

All stats are correct for our contract year, ending 31 January 2026. For the latest stats on our programme delivery, please see www.nbi.ie.

Virgin Media further expands market reach adding 254,000 premises nationwide in deal with National Broadband Ireland (NBI)

Virgin Media has agreed a network deal with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) whereby Virgin Media will offer a full range of superfast broadband and digital TV services to over 254,000 currently enabled NBI premises throughout Ireland.

Virgin Media’s ongoing €200m network upgrade to full fibre is continuing to 2025 and will support speeds up to 10Gbps. Virgin Media has recently upgraded over 281,000 premises to fibre, offering speeds of 2Gbps across its own network. The Virgin Media network already provides broadband speeds of 1Gbps (gigabits per second) to 1 million premises across Ireland.

Virgin Media’s deal with NBI, along with other already announced wholesale network access developments, brings to 1.4 million the number of premises now able to access Virgin Media’s fastest ever broadband services nationwide.

Virgin Media Ireland CEO Tony Hanway said, “With lightning-fast speeds of up to 2 Gig and 99.9% reliability, our full fibre broadband network is designed to revolutionise the way we connect and experience the digital world. This announcement today with NBI brings our ultrafast broadband and TV services to even more premises across Ireland, enabling homes, businesses, communities and regions nationwide to further prosper and grow.”

Peter Hendrick, CEO of National broadband Ireland (NBI) said, “We’re delighted that Virgin Media will join the growing number of retail service providers offering broadband packages on our network. There are now 70 retail service providers on our network, meaning there is huge choice for anyone connecting to high-speed fibre through NBI. Our rollout will ensure that every home, farm and business in Ireland has access to high-speed broadband with minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second available. We’ve now passed over 254,000 premises across the country and all of these have the same guarantee in terms of access, speed, and reliability.”

Campaign shot on mobile phones shows real life impact of high-speed fibre broadband for two Irish families

A new National Broadband Ireland (NBI) advertising campaign features two Irish families demonstrating the benefit of Ireland’s National Broadband Plan in their daily lives in videos filmed entirely on their mobile phones. The campaign follows ‘A Day in the Life’ of two Irish families – the Curley family in Co. Galway and the Randall’s Ayle Farm in Co. Tipperary.

The campaign is part of NBI’s commitment to create limitless opportunities through connectivity and access to high-speed fibre broadband for those living in rural communities, where such services are not available commercially. The campaign is running across social, digital and VOD channels including: RTE, Virgin Media and Channel 4.

The videos show the positive impact that high-speed broadband has made for both the Curley family and Randall’s, who have seen massive improvements in internet speeds, and also experience benefits for family’s life, business enterprises and careers.

Peter and Lorraine Randall in Co Tipperary, bought Ayle Farm in 2005 and produce award winning artisan chutneys, granola, and more in small batches. One of the added benefits of the installation of the fast speed solution by NBI, is the security aspect for rural businesses and enterprises. Peter Randall is able to access alerts and live feeds across the farm, “which are things we could never do before”, he says.

Lorraine Randall explained how access to high-speed broadband has meant she could begin working for a global company as one of the conditions was access to “good internet speed so I could work from home”, she remarks. 

In the new post-pandemic era of remote working, The Curley Family in Co. Galway echo this sentiment stating that they are saving almost 2 hours of a commute each day by working remotely – leaving more time for family, activities and the children. On the video we see the Curley family describe that “back in March 2021 our download speed was 1.35Mb and in 2022 our download speed is now 640Mb – we now know what a true internet connect is”.

The Campaign development has been managed by Pauline Broderick, Head of Marketing at National Broadband Ireland, who says:

“NBI is delighted to launch  the first phase of our new advertising campaign, illustrating  the real-life impact of high-speed fibre broadband on the well-being and quality of life of those families involved. The aim of the campaign is to allow NBI’s end users to describe their own experience of gaining access to the fibre network, enabling families throughout Ireland to become multi-device households, and to ensure businesses can make use of new technology and open up economic opportunities in the future. 

Overall, 1.1 million people living and working in almost 560,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms, are set to benefit from access to the broadband network being rolled out by NBI under the National Broadband Plan. The videos give a small glimpse into the real-life experiences and upsides, as a result of the high-speed broadband connections.”

NBI is the company rolling out the new high-speed fibre broadband network under the Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP). To date, a total of 18,592* premises – including homes, schools, businesses and community facilities – are now connected to NBI’s network, meaning that these premises now have guaranteed access to minimum broadband speeds of 500Mb.

The campaign reflects National Broadband Ireland’s strategic approach to transform Ireland’s broadband landscape. The plan is to deliver quality, affordable high-speed broadband throughout Ireland including areas where such services are not available commercially.

Commenting on the campaign, TJ Malone, Chief Executive Officer at National Broadband Ireland said: 

“There has never been a more appropriate time to introduce high speed fibre broadband in rural Ireland. During the pandemic, many families were forced to rely on their internet connection to complete daily tasks such as working remotely, home schooling and other daily roles. Remote and hybrid working is still a factor to consider for homes and businesses meaning high-speed fibre broadband is still a requirement in these rural areas. At National Broadband Ireland, we are committed to connecting families, homes and businesses to the network throughout the country.”

National Broadband Ireland Progress Update

NBI, the company rolling out the new high-speed fibre broadband network under the Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), has today issued a progress update which is showing strong momentum across all 26 counties.

By year end 2022, NBI is on track to deliver:

  • Premises under construction to grow by 43%, to 221,000 homes (40% of the 7-year target)
  • Premises available to order* set to increase by 266% to 128,000 homes
  • Premises passed^ to grow by 219% to 102,000 homes

Specifically on take-up, NBI reports take-up rates of over 30% already in Deployment Areas that have been live for a period of 6 months or more.

David McCourt, Chairman of National Broadband Ireland said: “The leading indicators give us confidence that this ambitious project can and will be delivered on time and on budget. During 2022, 221,000 premises or 40% of the entire Intervention Area will be under construction, up from 28% last year. At the same time, we anticipate that 128,000 premises will be available to order on the NBI Network. Our ability to move premises from the construction phases to the order phase is seriously ramping up which means users can reap the benefits of the transformational network sooner.”

NBI Chief Executive Peter Hendrick said: “Early take-up of services on the NBI network are already exceeding 30% in many of the initial deployment areas and it’s growing all the time, something we see as a really strong indicator of future demand. By comparison with any national or international comparison this is indicative of very high uptake levels, substantially ahead of initial expectations. Ultimately, we are confident of an overall take-up of approximately 85% and already have some 50 broadband providers signed up to sell services on the NBI network. This platform competition is expected to bring significant benefits directly to consumers by ensuring that bundled voice, broadband and TV packages offer real choice at competitive prices.”

National Broadband Ireland launches new 2 Gigabit per second high-speed fibre broadband offering

National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company rolling out the new high-speed fibre broadband network under the Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), has today launched a new 2 Gigabit per second (Gbit/s) offering in partnership with the 34 retail service providers selling services on the NBI network.

The new offering will enable residential customers across Ireland to enjoy 2Gbit/s download speeds with 200Mbit/s upload speeds, while business customers can avail of 2Gbit/s download speeds with 400Mbit/s upload speeds.

This new offering has expanded NBI’s product portfolio to six different high-speed broadband offerings for customers. The entry level offering provided to customers on the NBI network includes 500Mbit/s download with 50Mbit/s upload.

Peter Hendrick, CEO of National Broadband Ireland, said: “We are delighted to facilitate this new offering for customers in partnership with all retail service providers on the NBI network. The comprehensive range of offerings available on the NBI network will empower customers across Ireland with a variety of different requirements in terms of broadband speeds. National Broadband Ireland is working to ensure that every person can realise their ambitions through access to high-speed broadband.”

With the introduction of NBI’s new 2Gbit/s high-speed broadband offering, the company has expanded the portfolio of broadband options available on the NBI networks to six:

Products Download Speed Upload Speed
High-Speed Broadband Consumer Standard 500Mbit/s 50Mbit/s
High-Speed Broadband Consumer Premium 1Gbit/s 100Mbit/s
High-Speed Broadband Consumer Elite 2Gbit/s 200Gbit/s
High-Speed Broadband Business Standard 500Mbit/s 100Mbit/s
High-Speed Broadband Business Premium 1Gbit/s 200Mbit/s
High-Speed Broadband Business Enterprise 2Gbit/s 400Gbit/s

Some 50 retail service providers (RSPs) have already signed up to sell services on the NBI network and 34 are certified as ready to start providing connections today. This is expected to bring significant benefits directly to consumers and businesses.  Competition between RSPs affords choice for end users which will ensure quality bundled packages offer consumers choice around voice, broadband, TV and mobile at competitive prices.

National Broadband Ireland is actively working across the country to design and build the new high-speed, Fibre-to-the-Home network, which will connect over 1.1 million people and over 554,000 premises in the project’s Intervention Area. NBI is encouraging people to keep up to date with Eircode specific updates at /eoi/.

Nokia announced as key supplier to Ireland’s National Broadband Plan. #NBP #NBI #Nokia #FTTH

National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has selected Nokia to deploy a nation-wide FTTH network solution in the Republic of Ireland over the full programme delivery period for the Irish Government’s landmark National Broadband Plan (NBP).

As part of the agreement, Nokia successfully tendered to provide 100% of the active equipment, including an FTTH network based on next-generation PON (Passive Optical Network) technology, an aggregation network, based on its IP routing and optical networking technology and a full performance management solution.

The project is one of the most ambitious government broadband plans in the world, with the goal of providing high-speed connectivity to all of Ireland’s population, including 23% of whom currently live in the more rural Intervention Area (IA) where the NBP will be focused.

It involves more than 44,000 non-farm businesses, over 54,000 farms and 695 schools, ensuring that no one is left behind and laying the foundation for Ireland’s digital future for generations.

The major rollout has key milestone dates and NBI has hired Nokia to supply all active network equipment and integration services. As a result, NBI will be able to rely on the latest technologies, integration and end-to-end service performance to ensure its schedule goals are met.

Peter Hendrick, CEO at National Broadband Ireland, said: “We believe that better broadband networks promote social progress, equality and sustainability. With equal access to local, national and global opportunity, every person, community and organisation in Ireland will be empowered to achieve more. We look forward to working with Nokia because the company has the experience from similar projects globally, as well as the technological capabilities and end-to-end portfolio, for a project like this.”

Cormac Whelan, CEO UK and Ireland at Nokia, said: “It is imperative for today’s digital societies to provide high-speed connectivity everywhere – not just in cities and urban areas – to enable new digital services, digitalization of industries and innovation for economy and society to the benefit of the whole country. This project is key for the further digitalization of Ireland.”

Additional information worth noting…

  • Nokia holds #1 position in next-generation PON (XGS-PON) worldwide (Dell’Oro 1Q2020)
  • Nokia has 26 XGS-PON and 300 GPON deployments worldwide
  • Nokia has 250+ cloud-ready customer deployments with its fiber access platforms, a unique solution with greater choice, flexibility and control to deploy SDN
  • Nokia products included in the projects: Nokia FX OLT, Nokia XGS-PON ONTs, management system and enhanced applications; 7750 Service Router, providing IP edge networking for the cloud era; and 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) to support next-generation DWDM multiservice, multilayer P-OTN transport
  • Nokia will deliver following services: Design, Testing, Integration, I&C, Project Management & CARE