With construction of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) now at an advanced stage nationwide, National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company delivering the plan, have announced both Waterford and Tipperary as among the 7 counties that will reach completion milestones over the summer.
There are 16,000 premises in Co Waterford included in the State’s Intervention Area, where NBI is delivering minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to homes, businesses, farms, and schools. As the biggest investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification, Co Waterford has received €59m of Government investment under the National Broadband Plan. Across Tipperary, there are 31,000 premises in the State’s Intervention Area, with the county having received €118m of investment.
JUNE & JULY COMPLETIONS
News of the significant progress on Ireland’s largest telecommunications infrastructure project, confirms that the first part of its roadmap for the completion of main build works will hit their milestone this summer. NBI has confirmed that the main build of the fibre network remains on track for completion by the end of 2026, enabling high-speed broadband access for 566,000 homes, farms and businesses in rural Ireland, noting that this figure has increased by 29,000 – up from 537,000 at the time of contract signing.
Over the summer, the first county completion milestones will be achieved in Kilkenny, Westmeath and Longford in June, followed by Tipperary, Waterford, Meath and Dublin in July. This now means that all premises in NBI’s rollout area (the State’s Intervention Area) will be able to place an order for a high-speed broadband connection on the NBI Network.
CONTINUED NETWORK EXPANSION
NBI expects that its network will continue to grow in the years ahead, as new premises are built and additional areas in rural Ireland are added to the State Intervention Area in which the company operates. Over time, NBI estimates that its network will reach approximately 600,000 homes, farms and businesses.
The NBP is one of the most ambitious telecoms rollouts in Europe, involving the deployment of a high-speed fibre network across over 96% of Ireland’s landmass. The scale and complexity of the build – extending fibre to some of the most rural and remote locations – has required unprecedented levels of planning, engineering and stakeholder engagement.
Since mobilisation in 2020, NBI has transformed connectivity across the country. NBI’s crews continue to work in local communities nationwide, overcoming geographic and logistical challenges to ensure no premises is left behind. As the project enters its final phase, the focus is increasingly shifting from large-scale construction to network completion, activation, and customer connections.
As part of the final delivery approach, NBI will maintain a clear cadence of rollout milestones on a county-by-county basis throughout the remainder of 2026, providing greater visibility for communities awaiting connection.
The impact of the NBP is already being felt across rural Ireland, with TJ Malone, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, asking that people check to see availability in their area.
“As we enter the final stages of the National Broadband Plan rollout, we’re encouraging everyone to check their Eircode on nbi.ie and order now to secure high-speed fibre broadband for their home or business.”
