Pure Telecom to start providing 1Gbps broadband services around Ireland

13 May 2016

Broadband provider Pure Telecom to create 32 new jobs

Paul Connell, director, Pure Telecom. Pure Telecom said today it plans to offer 1Gbps broadband wherever it has been deployed by Open Eir

Following on the heels of a €20m deal with Eir last year, Pure Telecom has launched the first of its ‘Lightning’ 1Gbps broadband services.

A spokesperson for Pure Telecom said that the new speeds will be available anywhere that Eir’s wholesale arm Open Eir has enabled fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technology.

From today (13 May), customers in areas served by Eir’s 1Gbps fibre network can avail of a 150Mbps ‘Instant’ bundle at €65 per month, a 300Mbps ‘Premium’ service at €75 per month or the new 1Gbps ‘Lightning’ offering, which will cost €85 per month. Costs include line rental, as well as unlimited local, national and Irish mobile calls and unlimited broadband.

‘As the internet of things becomes an essential part of everyday life, consumers and businesses require more and more bandwidth’
^{– PAUL CONNELL, PURE TELECOM}

Last year, Eir initially revealed its new 1Gbps FTTH service will connect to 66 towns across Ireland.

In March, Eir then revealed that 100,000 premises in broadband-deprived areas of rural Ireland would receive 1Gbps services by March 2017.

Overall, Eir is on target to provide 1.6m homes in Ireland with high-speed broadband by the end of this year and aims to get to 1.9m quickly after that.

Rural Ireland waits to get connected

The developments come as it emerged in recent weeks that the commencement of the Government’s National Broadband Plan to connect 1.8m premises – up to 40pc of the population – to broadband will be delayed by about six months and that it could be 2022 by the time the very last of the rural homes get broadband. It is envisaged 85pc of broadband-deprived homes will receive a connection by 2018.

However, further uncertainty needs to be addressed as it emerged that responsibility for the National Broadband Plan will now be under the remit of the Department of Rural Affairs headed by Minister Heather Humphreys and not the Department of Communications, where the plan originated.

Pure’s new service capitalises on last year’s €20m deal with Open Eir, the wholesale division of Eir, which gives Pure Telecom’s customers access to the telco’s high-speed infrastructure.

Interestingly, Pure said it will also work with a number of other networks to provide services up to 1Gbps, which could possibly mean it may also plan to access SIRO’s fibre network on a wholesale basis. SIRO is the €450m joint venture between ESB and Vodafone to provide fibre services to 500,000 premises in 50 towns around Ireland in its first phase.

‘A few years ago people might not have believed this to be possible’
^{– PAUL CONNELL, PURE TELECOM}

“The launch of our ‘Lightning’ Fibre service places Pure Telecom at the forefront of broadband developments in Ireland,” Paul Connell, director of Pure Telecom said.

“As the internet of things becomes an essential part of everyday life, consumers and businesses require more and more bandwidth, as all of our devices and appliances require a permanent internet connection. By providing 1Gbps broadband, we are equipping homes for the future.”

“A few years ago people might not have believed this to be possible. We’re thrilled to be among the first in Ireland to offer these speeds and provide our customers with the top level service that they expect,” Connell said.

Initial Pure locations for 1Gbps broadband

Pure Telecom’s ‘Lightning’ Fibre will be available to premises enabled with Open Eir’s FTTH. The rollout is ongoing and Pure Telecom said it can now bring ‘Lightning’ Fibre to premises in the below locations – based on specific premises testing: