Eircom to extend high-speed broadband

Eircom plans to expand high-speed broadband access to an additional 300,000 homes and offices across rural Ireland as it extends its fibre footprint to 1.9 million premises.

The telecoms company said it will invest €400 million in fibre over the next five years and remains on track to reach 70 per cent of the country by the end of 2016, rising to 80 per cent by 2020.

"This is a critical development as we build a future-proofed network using a best-in-class technology to deliver the highest broadband speeds to many rural communities right across Ireland," chief executive Richard Moat said.

Eircom said the additional premises are spread across 1,070 communities in all 26 counties and include 300 communities currently without high-speed broadband.