The project is expected to cost €3 billion.
The Government has approved the appointment of a preferred bidder for the National Broadband plan, described as “the biggest investment in rural Ireland since electrification”.
The Government says the “transformational” scheme will bring high-speed broadband to 1.1m people and 540,000 homes, business and farms.
The Transformational scheme will bring high-speed broadband to 1.1m people & 540k homes, business and farms. Costing €3bn incl VAT with a €545m contingency fund to cover the “worst case” scenario, to cover design, build, development and operation for over 35 years. #Ireland2040 pic.twitter.com/2kibr4jQYQ
— MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) May 7, 2019
It will cost €3 billion, including VAT, with a €545 million contingency fund to cover the “worst case” scenario, to cover design, build, development and operation for over 35 years.
As a result, over half a million premises in a State Intervention Area – areas where high-speed broadband was previously not provided by broadband operators – will be provided with access to a future-proofed, high-speed broadband network.
An interactive map of areas with high-speed broadband in Ireland can be viewed here.
A Government initiative to deliver high-speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland, the National Broadband Plan was initially launched in 2012 by then Minister for Communications Pat Rabitte but has encountered a series of problems since.
Projected costs for the National Broadband Plan have spiralled from an initial €500 million to the €3 billion confirmed by the Government on Tuesday, while after the five bidders in the original tendering process were reduced to three preferred bidders, it was eventually whittled down to one sole bidder, Granahan McCourt Capital.
In October of last year, then Minister for Communications Denis Naughten resigned after he was embroiled in a scandal over his meetings with Irish businessman David McCourt, founder and CEO of Granahan McCourt Capital, ahead of the consortium’s bid for the broadband contract.
Having acknowledged the spiralling costs of the project, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said:
“In 10 years’ time people won’t ask about the price, they’ll wonder why we didn’t do it sooner.”
Every home, farm, school & business in Ireland will have access to high speed broadband under the National Broadband Plan approved by Govt today. It will ensure that those in rural areas have the same digital opportunities as those in urban areas. #NBP #broadband pic.twitter.com/UFgK2VwccE
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 7, 2019
As Taoiseach, it's my job to imagine the future and think about what it's going to look like. When I do that, I think of things like home working. Already some multi-nationals employ a quarter of their staff from home. They require high-speed broadband and secure connections.
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 7, 2019
At the moment, many people living in Rural Ireland are excluded. I have seen students in small rural & island schools being able to study subjects like physics by video-link to a larger school. This will be even more common in the future. #NBP #broadband
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 7, 2019
Access to broadband affects many parts of Ireland. It requires a national solution, so we can connect with the world, with family members, with businesses & new ways of doing things. In 10 years time people won’t ask about the price, they’ll wonder why we didn’t do it sooner.
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 7, 2019
More information on the National Broadband plan can be found here.
Main image via Twitter/MerrionStreet.ie
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