Open Eir's Full Fibre Blitz: Crushing the Gigabit Gap Across Ireland
Eir completes rollout, passing over 1.4 million properties with a full fiber network infrastructure
Get ready, Ireland! Your digital stomping ground just levelled up. Ireland's biggest fibre network, owned by open eir (formerly Eircom), has outdone itself by reaching the milestone of 1.4 million homes and businesses nationwide with its full fibre-to-the-home broadband network. That means more than 3.6 million Irish folk now get to dance on the fast lane of high-speed connectivity.
At the heart of this amazing achievement, open eir has unspooled an incredible 50,000 kilometres of fibre infrastructure across the Emerald Isle, and earlier this month, they fired up a sizzling new 5Gb fibre broadband service for all operators.
Maeve O'Malley, open eir's Managing Director of Wholesale, couldn't be prouder. She declared, "Reaching 1.4 million homes and businesses with Ireland's most extensive full fibre network? That's a major freakin' milestone - and a testament to the genius, sweat, and sheer grit of our team right across this wild little island."
Ms O'Malley continued, "The launch of that juicy 5Gb broadband service? That's the start of a new chapter in Ireland's digital evolution - delivering the ballsy speed, superior performance, and unwavering reliability this modern, connected world demands."
Firing on all cylinders, open eir is cooking up a storm, aiming to guarantee that by the end of 2028, every last home and business in Ireland - covering over 2.4 million premises - will have access to gigabit broadband, thanks to their investments and the Government's National Broadband Plan.
The party doesn't stop there, open eir gearing up to launch a thrilling 100Mb fibre-to-the-home product on July 1.
Here's the lowdown: open eir's network dishes out both Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) and Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) services. The network spreads across Ireland like wildfire, with a handy interactive fibre broadband checker on their website to help you figure out availability in your hood[3]. But, for the specifics on the exact coverage percentage or the areas covered by Open eir, you'll have to wait for the next update.
In case you're curious about what open eir offers right now, here's the rundown: they're working tirelessly to upgrade their existing network to support 5Gb fibre broadband services. Eir is set to hook up their existing 2Gb customers to the 5Gb service without setting them back a penny from June 27, 2025[1]. And, bet you can't wait, existing 2Gb customers on the open eir wagon will be automatically upgraded to the 5Gb service at no extra cost[1].
The future? It's wide open. While open eir keeps mum on their specific future expansion plans for their fibre network, the broader fibre broadband landscape is rapidly evolving. Other providers like National Broadband Ireland (NBI) are carving their paths in expanding fibre broadband access, particularly in rural areas, as part of the National Broadband Plan[2]. Additionally, SIRO has announced a monstrous €620 million expansion to expand their Gigabit broadband network to an additional 154 towns across Ireland, aiming to cover over 2.1 million people[5]. These developments suggest that fibre broadband coverage is about to get a serious upgrade across the country.
So, while we wait for more juicy details about open eir's future plans, kick back and enjoy the ride as Ireland becomes one big gigabit playground.
Data-and-cloud-computing and technology play significant roles in Open Eir's Full Fibre Blitz, enabling faster and more reliable connections. The expansive fibre infrastructure built by open eir for their fibre broadband services is the foundation for data-and-cloud-computing activities, ensuring high-speed access and efficient data storage. Similarly, advances in technology, such as 5Gb broadband services, empower both businesses and individuals to make the most of data-and-cloud-computing opportunities.
