The rollout of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) network is now being built at a rate of between 7,000-10,000 premises per month and is ahead of the revised targets agreed with Government for delivery this year.
The controversial NBP has been beset by delays — largely blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic — since it started more than two years ago.
The company building the network — National Broadband Ireland (NBI) — has missed early rollout targets. A plan to pass 115,000 premises with fibre cable by the end of January 2022 was abandoned and revised to 60,000 but this target was also missed.
As recently as April, the rollout was estimated to be six months behind the original overall schedule.
The original target of 205,000 premises passed by the end of January 2023 was revised downwards to 102,000 in an agreement between NBI and the Government.
The Oireachtas Committee on Communications has been told the rollout is a month ahead of expectations in terms of reaching the revised 102,000 target and NBI is confident in reaching that number before the end of the year.
The senior NBI executive in charge of deployment of the network, TJ Malone, told the committee that work is “progressing well” and the goal is to beat the target.
“From what we’re seeing at the moment, we would be confident.
“All that said, there could be obstacles that could hit us,” Mr Malone said. “We do believe we will bring it in a bit ahead of target this year and we’re all very much aware, particularly for our own workforce as well, the need to get some wins.”
Committee chairman, Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell, said: “I think this will be, dare I say it, the first time you’ve been before us where with any bit of luck you’re now getting ahead of the targets as agreed and that’s something we’re very positively disposed towards.”
Fianna Fáil Senator Gerry Horkan asked Mr Malone about the original target for the end of 2023 and was told it was 205,000 homes passed.
He said: “So it’s a 50 per cent decrease in the ambition,” though he added, “we all understand Covid and lots of other reasons.”
Mr Malone said: “Yes, that’s where we are.”
Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchu said: “It does look like we’re in a slightly better place than we’ve been before and that’s to be welcome.”
He said: “It’s vital we can stay ahead of this.”
Mr Ó Murchu said it was previously suggested the seven-year NBP could be accelerated to be completed in five years but he asked Mr Malone to confirm the fastest it could possibly be done is six years.
Mr Malon said this is “the best we could possibly do”.
Earlier NBI chief executive Peter Hendrick said some 14,200 premises have been connected to the network so far, equivalent to 22 per cent of the premises that have been passed with fibre cables.
He said: “While still early days in the deployment, in deployment areas where the service has been available for more than six months, take-up rates have reached over 30 per cent.”
Mr Hendrick added: “This initial indicator of demand for the network is surpassing anything we have ever seen in Ireland when compared to commercial rollouts and indeed in comparison to other international projects.”
In terms of the most remote parts of the country, Mr Hendrick said NBI has progressed the rollout on six islands of Mayo and Donegal and there are plans to advance connectivity on islands off Cork later this year.
Mr Hendrick said since January, NBI has added 300 additional workers to the project, a 25 per cent increase, bringing total employment on the NBP to about 1,500 skilled workers.
