Offaly’s digital future accelerates with €8m investment in connecting the county

open eir, Ireland’s largest wholesale telecommunications provider, today announced it has passed over 1.4 million homes and businesses with its full fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband network. A total of 22,164 premises across County Offaly can now connect to the full fibre network, backed by a €8 million investment in connecting the county. This significant milestone means that approximately 3.6 million people across Ireland now have access to high-speed, full fibre connectivity—further reinforcing the country’s position as one of the most digitally connected nations in Europe.

To date, open eir has deployed more than 50,000 kilometres of fibre infrastructure—enough to circle the globe—highlighting its ongoing commitment to delivering next-generation broadband across urban and rural communities alike.

Earlier this month, open eir launched its new 5 Gigabit (5Gbps) fibre broadband service, setting a new benchmark for speed, performance, and reliability in Irish homes and businesses. This launch comes at a pivotal time, as open eir accelerates the transition from copper to full fibre, ensuring Ireland’s digital infrastructure is prepared for the demands of the future.

Maeve O’Malley, Managing Director of open eir Wholesale, said: “Passing 1.4 million homes and businesses with Ireland’s largest full fibre network is a major milestone – and a reflection of the expertise, dedication and hard work of our teams nationwide. The launch of our 5 Gigabit broadband service marks the next chapter in Ireland’s digital evolution, delivering the speed, performance and reliability today’s connected lives demand.

These achievements are the result of sustained investment – over €1.7 billion in recent years – in building a robust, future-ready network. That investment is enabling Ireland to become one of the most digitally advanced countries in Europe. Fibre is faster, more resilient, more energy-efficient – and it will power Ireland’s digital growth and innovation for generations to come.”

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open eir's continued investments, in tandem with the Government’s National Broadband Plan, aim to ensure that by the end of 2028, every home and business in Ireland - covering over 2.4 million premises - will have access to high-speed gigabit broadband. By modernising its infrastructure, open eir is building a digital network that reflects the real needs of modern Ireland – resilient, high-performing, and built to last.

Fibre broadband represents a step-change in connectivity – delivering faster speeds, lower latency, and significantly greater reliability than the traditional copper network. As well as offering enhanced performance, fibre is also more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable, making it a future-proof solution for households, businesses, and communities across the country.

To further support this transition and provide greater choice to customers, open eir has also launched a new 100Mb FTTH product. This full fibre offering is priced to match the monthly rental cost of the equivalent fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) service delivering the same speeds as the fastest copper-based technology while offering the benefits of fibre making it a more reliable and future-ready solution. With 29 retail service providers operating on the open eir network, customers have a wide range of options in terms of speed, cost and provider.

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The launch of open eir’s 5Gb broadband service further strengthens Ireland’s position as a digital leader in Europe. This next-generation connectivity will empower innovation, support remote working and learning, enhance access to online services, and help drive social and economic growth nationwide.

open eir is Ireland’s largest wholesale telecommunications provider, delivering high-capacity voice, broadband, and data services to retail service providers across the country. The company is leading the roll-out of Ireland’s largest full fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network, connecting homes and businesses to world-class digital infrastructure. With over €1.7 billion invested in recent years, open eir is building a future-proofed, sustainable network designed to meet the growing connectivity needs of Irish society and the economy. Its open access wholesale model enables a competitive retail market, ensuring choice and innovation for consumers and businesses nationwide. open eir is committed to supporting Ireland’s transition to a fully digital, high-speed future. For more information visit www.openeir.ie