National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company delivering the new, high-speed Fibre-to-the-Home network on behalf of the Government has connected the first farm.
Agricultural consultant Tom Canning, located in Crossdoney, Co Cavan, is the first farm business to be connected. Mr Canning says he “expects to benefit hugely from a high-speed fibre connection.”
“The need for farming community to be connected to a high-speed network is vital as administration and the day-to-day running of a farm has moved online. I am already seeing the benefits from this connection,” he said.
County Cavan is set to receive €65 million of Government investment under the National Broadband Plan to bring high-speed connectivity to 16,000 premises in the county.
Under the National Broadband Plan, over 544,000 premises nationwide are included in the intervention area. The project sees NBI delivering minimum speeds of up to 500 megabits per second to farms, homes, businesses and schools.
A National Broadband Ireland spokesperson said: “The Covid-19 pandemic also gave rise to the growing trend of virtual mart auctions, allowing farmers to trade livestock effectively online.
“As an industry with a heritage of innovation, farmers have embraced the benefits of technology to achieve cost saving, reduce administration and access information in order to improve livestock management; all making reliable, high speed broadband essential to their future success.”
Farmers, along with residents and businesses will able to order their connections through a number of retail service providers (RSPs). NBI said it will make the new network available to all RSPs in the intervention area, with 42 already signed up.
LSL News.