SIRO, the joint venture between the ESB and Vodafone to deliver 1GB broadband to homes and businesses, held a presentation in Dundalk on Friday ahead of the roll out of the service here this autumn.
Dundalk will be the first town in the country to receive the new high speed broadband with the announcement made at an event at the County Museum.
The company says that the rollout of the network is currently underway in Dundalk and that services will be available from broadband retailers from autumn this year.
Approximately 800 homes and businesses in the Coes Road area will be the first to be offered the service, with an opportunity to participate in a trial from the end of September via registration on the SIRO website. It is hoped that 18,000 households in Dundalk and Blackrock will have access to 1GB broadband in the next 12 months.
SIRO is building a 100% fibre-optic internet service, with no copper connection at any point in the network, and has the ability to offer speeds up to 1 Gbps. As an example of what this means in practice, the company says that a high definition film of 4 gigabytes, which would take one hour to download with a 10 Mbps connection, would take 30 seconds on this new service.
“This is a first for Ireland. SIRO will mean that anyone starting a business in Dundalk will be able to compete not just at a national level, but at an international level,” said Sean Atkinson, CEO of SIRO.
“It will mean that students will be able send large files instantly, that families can download a movie in a few seconds and that working from home is a real prospect for employees.”
“It will mean a completely new internet for Dundalk. Dundalk has a vibrant local economy and a growing digital future, which we are delighted to be a part of.”
The service will be available in the area from the autumn and you can register your interest here.
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