Castlebar, Co Mayo has become the latest town to receive a fibre network windfall after network operator enet announced it is to invest €1.5m for the construction of a new metro fibre network.
The planned installation will include duct, sub duct and fibre optic cables to be deployed across the town, connecting its major commercial and industrial zones, educational institutions and medical premises, as well as sites for Government use.
With construction work due to commence immediately, enet says the network is scheduled for completion in November this year.
This development is part of enet’s contract with the Irish Government to manage, maintain and operate two phases of the Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) programme that is currently enabled across 94 towns and cities in Ireland.
Castlebar also now joins six other Mayo towns as part of the MAN, including Ballina, Belmullet, Ballinrobe, Claremorris, Kiltimagh and Knock.
Speaking in his hometown at the announcement, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny said of the investment: “The recovery [of jobs] is fragile and our priority remains to spread recovery to all parts of Ireland. The building of new high-speed broadband infrastructure is an important development for improving business potential, creating new export opportunities, and aiding job creation. The project announced by enet today is a vital step forward for Castlebar.”
Adding to the Taoiseach’s sentiments, Conal Henry, enet CEO, said: “Importantly, the enet network will be operated in an open-access fashion, meaning that all service providers can have access. The success of this model is proven by the fact that all of Ireland’s telcos currently provide services via the open-access MANs.”
Mayo was recently designated the new high-speed link between Ireland and New York with the announcement of a €300m fibre optic cable link across the Atlantic Ocean.
Mayo image via Shutterstock
