The Irish Times

Playing politics with broadband saddles taxpayer with €2.6bn liability

Project costing €5.5bn mired in delay ... and no public ownership of the end product

Sun Jan 30 2022 - 13:55

Rollout of National Broadband Plan falls further behind schedule

Company behind project admits it will not make target to pass 60,000 homes

Thu Jan 27 2022 - 15:02

Government’s broadband plan mired in financial controversy

North’s scheme costs €2,500 per home, the Republic’s €5,300

Sun Dec 19 2021 - 12:13

William Fry and EY to examine funding and structure of National Broadband Ireland

Department says this is part of ongoing review of broadband contract

Mon Dec 13 2021 - 19:24

Eir planning to sell almost half of Irish fibre network

Financial advisory firm Lazard engaged to advise on possible transaction

Sat Oct 23 2021 - 05:15

Delay in hiring cybersecurity director criticised at PAC

Committee heard agency dealt with more than 3,000 cyber incidents in 2020

Thu Oct 14 2021 - 14:24

Intel and Connect centre collaborate to improve 5G optical networks

New €600,000 partnership to focus on making better passive optical networks

Fri Oct 08 2021 - 05:30

Rural Ireland has ‘bright future’ under development plan – Tánaiste

Plan updated to include remote working, with fast broadband to be rolled out by 2040

Mon Oct 04 2021 - 18:08

National Broadband Plan can be delivered on time and on budget, committee to hear

National Broadband Ireland chief to say project could even be completed early

Wed Sept 15 2021 - 01:08

Eir to roll out gigabit fibre to a further 200,000 premises

Decision follows increased demand from customers due to coronavirus pandemic

Wed Aug 11 2021 - 05:00

Eir looks to recapture lost ground from Virgin in telecoms arms race

Customers trying to get through to us had a really hard time, says Eir boss Carolan Lennon

Sat Apr 17 2021 - 05:18

Government plans network of over 400 remote working hubs

Infrastructure may be operated by common booking platform, allowing users book a seat

Wed Dec 02 2020 - 12:39

Eir to issue apology for poor customer relations service

Joint Oireachtas committee to hear Covid-19 behind telecom’s challenges and criticism

Wed Nov 25 2020 - 04:40

National Broadband Ireland criticised for ‘gaps’ in rollout of scheme

Company behind €3bn project accused of not providing sufficient information about the rollout on its website

Wed Nov 18 2020 - 18:42

The Irish Times view on the National Broadband Plan contract: Devil may lie in unknown detail

The 25-year contract requires National Broadband Ireland (NBI) – the vehicle set up by winning bidder US firm Granahan McCourt – to deliver high-speed broadband to 542,000 mainly rural homes and premises

Mon Aug 31 2020 - 00:05

Farewell to the city: Is it time to move to a house in the country?

Remote working, cheaper housing, cleaner air: there’s a lot to be said for quitting the city

Thu Jun 11 2020 - 06:00

Granahan McCourt drops out of Northern Ireland broadband scheme

Company behind State’s €3bn broadband plan cites timeline problems due to Covid-19

Fri May 22 2020 - 05:02

Up to 300 high-speed internet hubs to be deployed by end of year

Project is being rolled out in advance of National Broadband Plan

Mon Mar 16 2020 - 11:43

‘Rolls-Royce’ rural broadband to cost €6,000 per household

Rollout to 542,000 homes will transform telecoms landscape, but at a high price

Wed Nov 20 2019 - 04:33

Location of 300 high-speed internet hubs revealed under broadband plan

Areas with worst connections to benefit first as €3 billion scheme is rolled out

Tue Nov 19 2019 - 17:12

Q&A: What is the broadband plan and what happens next?

Cost of the scheme has ballooned to nearly €3 billion, six times the original estimate

Tue Nov 19 2019 - 10:15

European Commission approves Ireland’s €3bn broadband plan

Move paves the way for contracts with US firm Granahan McCourt to be signed

Fri Nov 15 2019 - 13:24

Broadband plans, home-building numbers, tourism turbulence and payday for a Meath couple

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Tue Nov 12 2019 - 06:30

Bruton denies national broadband delay

Minister says officials are still finalising State aid element of €3bn scheme

Mon Nov 11 2019 - 20:46

Granahan McCourt in running for NI broadband scheme

Preferred bidder for Government’s NBP project vies for similar project in the North

Wed Oct 30 2019 - 06:49

Row erupts over Eir’s new rural broadband network

Rivals say they are unable to connect customers to company’s new fibre network

Fri Sept 20 2019 - 06:00

New spending rules promised after broadband and hospital sagas

Senior civil servant acknowledges State has had difficulties delivering big capital projects

Fri Sept 13 2019 - 20:16

Imagine says it can deliver high-speed broadband to 800,000 rural homes

Company completes first phase of €300m investment in rollout of 5G broadband

Fri Sept 06 2019 - 05:40

Siro now a serious challenger to Eir in fibre arms race

Siro boss John Keaney says telco is about to deepen operations in Cork and Galway and take the fight to Eir in Dublin’s suburbs

Fri Jul 26 2019 - 05:00

Telecoms companies to face clampdown on ‘fake fibre’ adverts

Advertising watchdog plans to restrict when word ‘fibre’ can be used in broadband adverts

Tue Jul 16 2019 - 12:45

Rural group claims far cheaper broadband alternative

Scepticism greets Rispa proposal based on upfront State funding of €900m

Fri Jul 12 2019 - 01:00

Regulator raises prospect of forcing State to provide rural broadband even at a loss

Comreg says EU directive allows member states use a USO - legally obliging the State to provide a service even if its uneconomic to operate - to ensure broadband coverage

Thu Jul 11 2019 - 17:58

INM hack longer than suspected, developers cut back on homes

Seen and Heard: State loses nearly $1m on Digicel as value of its bonds at record low

Sun Jul 07 2019 - 14:21

Broadband plan bidder’s CEO declines to appear before Oireachtas committee

Fianna Fáil says David McCourt should make an appearance to address concerns

Wed Jul 03 2019 - 01:00

Eir best-placed to provide rural broadband solution

Expertise and existing infrastructure makes firm ideal for far-cheaper national rollout

Mon Jul 01 2019 - 01:00

Fintan O’Toole: KPMG hoovers up fees as politicians forget everything

Broadband plan designed by same firm, KPMG, that failed to raise alarm about banks

Tue May 14 2019 - 08:03

Government will not own broadband network when built

Government is paying bulk of cost while ceding ownership to private entity

Thu May 09 2019 - 00:14

Broadband timeline: how did we get here?

Seven years in the making, Government’s flagship communications policy

Fri Apr 26 2019 - 11:42

Telcos eye up BT’s €460m Irish unit as parent firm exits Ireland

UK telecoms giant to sell-off Irish business as part of major global retrenchment

Fri Apr 26 2019 - 02:15

Final decision on broadband plan due ‘within weeks’

Minister Richard Bruton signals imminent decision amid speculation over €3bn cost

Mon Apr 01 2019 - 15:14

Will Eir’s €500m investment change the broadband game?

Eir takes aim at Virgin as questions about the Government’s NBP project grow

Fri Feb 15 2019 - 05:08

Government under fire for awarding major telecoms contract without tender

Limerick-based Enet had contract to operate network last year without tender process

Thu Feb 14 2019 - 12:31

State’s largest telcos to reveal why they shunned broadband plan

Companies are to explain their difficulties with the process to Public Accounts Committee

Tue Feb 12 2019 - 14:32

Eir’s market share in Dublin underscores disaster that was privatisation

Flipped several times and starved of investment, firm attempts to regain lost ground

Tue Feb 12 2019 - 05:06

Rural Ireland plays waiting game as Government mulls broadband bid

Final and only bid for NBP was submitted last September but we have no decision yet

Tue Jan 22 2019 - 05:15

The entrepreneur providing wifi solutions to transport firms and rural Ireland

Future Proof: Patrick Cotter, founder of FleetConnect and Rural Wifi, eyes further expansion

Fri Dec 14 2018 - 05:56

No written statements sought from Naughten

Process auditor questioned about his National Broadband Plan investigation

Thu Dec 06 2018 - 20:32

Price tag touted for National Broadband Plan could be PR spinning

Indicative €6,000 per connection suggests effort to tarnish image of rural rollout plan

Tue Nov 20 2018 - 05:15

Naughten aimed to name broadband plan preferred bidder by September

Former minister told Eir of intended time frame in May meeting, documents show

Sat Oct 27 2018 - 06:05

National Broadband Plan woes could be a blessing in disguise

Perhaps the controversy over former minister Denis Naughten can lead to a reboot

Thu Oct 25 2018 - 05:46

Dooley says Government should mandate ESB to deliver National Broadband Plan

Fianna Fáil communications spokesman says semi-State should be brought in to break impasse

Mon Oct 22 2018 - 01:15

Breen had three more meetings with lead NBP bidder

Seen & Heard: Minister of State also visited McCourt at his home in a private capacity

Sun Oct 21 2018 - 13:19

Government had ‘open door’ policy towards NBP bidder, TD claims

Records reveal Noonan met representatives of telco Enet before firm’s contract renewed

Sat Oct 20 2018 - 02:25

David McCourt: the Irish-American billionaire you never heard of – until now

Telco entrepreneur with a home in Co Clare sold his first phone company for $14bn

Sat Oct 13 2018 - 04:34

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