Overview of National Broadband Plan

Background

The Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment awarded a contract for a National Broadband Plan (NBP) to roll out broadband to the rural areas of the country, where it is thought not to be economically viable for a commercial operator to install, in November 2019 to National Broadband Ireland (NBI).
Kilkenny County Council is the facilitator of this NBP rollout for County Kilkenny and is working with NBI and their contractors in the roll out of fibre broadband.

Further details from the department can be found at the National Broadband Plan Overview  .
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National Broadband Plan Descriptors

The NBP uses 1 of 3 classifications to identify what area of the plan a premise is in and can be identified on the Departments High Speed Broadband Map.

The 3 classifications are

Blue -  Operators should already offer broadband in the area.

Light Blue - Eir fibre broadband now available

Amber - Broadband connection is included in the NBP.

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How to find your current status

To find out where your premise is classified you will need your Eircode.
To find your Eircode go to http://www.eircode.ie.
With your Eircode lookup its classification on the High Speed Broadband Map.

Next Steps

If you are in the Blue area operators should already be providing broadband - check with operators in your area via the Check Your Line section below. If they are unable to provide a decent broadband speed please contact Broadband@DCCAE.gov.ie.

If you are in a Light Blue area you can check to see how long you may have to wait for fibre broadband by checking your location on the Openeir Fibre Coverage.
The local authority has no power or influence how the sites were chosen - the Light Blue is a purely commercial decision taken by the operators.

If you are in the Amber area you are part of the National Broadband Plan.

Check Your Line

Different providers may give different broadband speeds and they may be very different from what you actually get. Broadband speed is affected by many variables including
- distance from the exchange.
- quality/age of phone line cable that is installed into the premises.

You can check what service may be available to you via this and other similar websites.
https://switcher.ie/broadband/.

The site lists broadband suppliers for your location.

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Current Status of National Broadband Plan : ROLL OUT PLAN in PROGRESS

National Broadband Ireland are 5 years into their roll out plan (www.nbi.ie)

Any Further Questions

In the first instance check the Broadband FAQ to see if your question has already been answered.
If you can't find the answer you're looking for feel free to send your question to broadbandofficer@kilkennycoco.ie.

Details Updated: 25 October 2024