First premises on Achill connected to high-speed broadband
David McCourt, Founder and Chairman of National Broadband Ireland, TJ Malone, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, and Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD on Keel Beach, Achill Island. Picture: Michael McLaughlin
National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company rolling out the National Broadband Plan (NBP), hosted an event on Achill Island last Wednesday to mark the first connections to high-speed fibre broadband on the island.
Main build works on the island infrastructure are now complete enabling over 2,500 homes, farms and businesses to high-speed broadband. This means that residents of Ireland’s largest island will have the same access to 2 Gig, reliable, broadband as any of the over 380,000 premises that NBI has already passed across the country.
Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, TD, was present at the event, which was also attended by local public representatives, community groups and residents.
Minister O’Donovan said: “The National Broadband Plan is one of the largest State infrastructure projects since rural electrification, and ensures that no community, home or business is left behind from a connectivity point of view. This means that delivering broadband infrastructure to the residents of Achill Island is a natural extension of this mandate.
“I’m delighted to be here today to witness first-hand the impact that this investment and connectivity to high-speed broadband is having for homes, businesses and the entire island community who will reap the benefits of it for decades to come.”
Local connected customer and owner of House of Achill, Anna Sutcliffe, said: “Since connecting to the NBI Network with Imagine, my business has really grown. Traditionally on the island, we are very dependent on the tourism season. Now with fibre, I finally have a fast, reliable connection to support online sales and ensure customer service year-round. I can now focus on what I enjoy most about the business: being creative.”
Owner of Lilí Bán Café, John Barrett, said: “I opened Lilí Bán Café in the summer of 2021 and soon realised that running a business on Achill Island has its challenges. Without fibre broadband, the weather often impacted the signal and reliability of the connection. Since connecting to NBI’s fibre with Westnet, it’s been a real game changer. At the café, we can now manage online bookings and operate a card machine. It’s exciting to see a new wave of business starting on the island and fibre connectivity has definitely played a big part in this.”
Paul Cunnane, Chief Executive Officer, Westnet, said: “Westnet has a long-standing presence on the island. We've built a strong customer base here over the years, and when we heard access to fibre broadband was available through the NBI Network, we were ready. Now that fibre is here on Achill, it means people living, working and holidaying have the same access to work, education, shopping and streaming as anyone in a big city, but in one of the most beautiful places in the world."
