5,000 to get ‘alternative’ to fibre broadband

Rural broadband rollout might connect ‘difficult to reach or high-cost premises’ using other technologies such as wireless, spokesman says

About 5,000 homes and businesses would not be offered a FTTH connection, which is considered by many to be the most reliable and future-proofed technology currently available

Several categories of homes and businesses could be served broadband through alternative technology solutions such as wireless internet as part of the state’s National Broadband Plan, the Business Post has learned.

The multibillion-euro rural broadband scheme is set to deliver fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband to 540,000 premises across the country over a seven-year period.

The contract allows, however, for between 1 per cent and 2 per cent of premises to be catered for through alternative technology ...