National Broadband Ireland reaches major milestone in Waterford

National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has announced it has now connected over 3,000 homes, farms and businesses across Waterford under the Government's National Broadband Plan to roll-out high-speed fibre broadband across the country.

Around 16,000 premises in County Waterford are included in the State’s Intervention Area, which will see NBI deliver minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to local communities - €59 million will be spent in Waterford.

To mark its latest milestone, representatives of the company met with local photographer Bernard van Giessen who was the 3,000th customer to be connected in Waterford.

Bernard and his partner, Fionnuala, relocated from Dundrum in Co Dublin, two years ago, to a three-storey home in close proximity to Lismore Castle.

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While making the move to rural Ireland was a positive one, it came with its challenges, specifically the lack of internet access in the area. As a photographer, Bernard often struggled to carry out basic tasks in his work such as sharing files and editing images. Inevitably, he would need to travel elsewhere to use the internet as there was virtually no signal in his home.

Their home has recently been connected to the NBI network meaning that Bernard and Fionnuala can enjoy the benefits of fast, reliable broadband. For Bernard, this means less time spent buffering and more quality time with Fionnuala on their weekly trips to the beach. They can now work, stream entertainment and connect with friends and family with ease.

“When I first moved to Lismore, my wife and I were told we would never be able to use 5G or even 4G in our new home. There was virtually no signal and this worsened whenever it rained. We reached out to several mobile network operators, and none were able to give us a solution," commented Bernard.

“I signed up to NBI’s updates to be notified as soon as fibre broadband was available in our area. It acted as a guide, bringing us one step closer and closer to a seamless connection. Since connecting to the NBI network, it has been a real relief.

“When connecting, I viewed the long list of commercial providers to find the most competitive price and package. It was great to have such a wide range of choice. Quality and reliability were the most important factors for me, especially in my line of work. As a photographer, I regularly transfer large files. Before having high-speed fibre broadband, I had to leave my home to carry out any work. Now, I can get the job done without a hitch from the comfort of my home," he added.

Peter Hendrick, chief executive officer of National Broadband Ireland, said: “It’s encouraging to hear the real impact of high-speed broadband on customers like Bernard. His story demonstrates the importance of reliable fibre broadband for rural communities in Waterford and across Ireland. 

“Our fibre rollout is showing real momentum and progress. The take-up of high-speed broadband on our network has been fantastic and we’re keen to continue to accelerate our rollout and bring the benefit of fibre broadband to more and more homes, businesses and farms. 

“In Waterford, we will connect 16,000 premises overall. We’re over the half-way mark as over 9,100 of those are ready to connect now. This includes homes, businesses and farms in the rural surrounding areas of Tallow, Youghal and Waterford city. I encourage people to visit the NBI website, nbi.ie, where they can check their Eircode and sign up for updates.”

Mick Forry, Commercial Director at Sky Ireland added: “We’re delighted to see customers, like Bernard, experience all the benefits fibre broadband has to offer. For Sky, our partnership with National Broadband Ireland is all about providing fibre access to rural communities and making ultrafast broadband available across Co Waterford and beyond.  Through the National Broadband Plan, our customers can transform the way they work and study from home, as well as enjoying greater access to entertainment.

As a wholesale network operator, NBI does not sell fibre broadband directly to end users, rather it enables services from a range of broadband providers or Retail Service Providers (RSPs).

Some 72 RSPs have already signed up to sell services on the National Broadband Ireland network and 68 are certified as ready to start providing connections as of today. To see the retail broadband providers that are currently licensed to sell on the National Broadband Ireland network, visitNBI.ie/buy.