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The telecoms company has rapidly expanded its 5G footprint in Ireland, which now spans almost 270 towns and cities across more than 900 sites.
Eir has said its 5G network now reaches more than 57pc of the Irish population, with an expanding footprint across 268 towns and cities.
Last September, the telecoms company said the availability of its 5G network in Ireland had increased more than threefold since the service was launched in 2019. At that point, it was available from 340 sites across the country.
Now, the company has announced a further expansion, with 5G now available from 904 sites. Eir said this is complemented by 4G coverage across 99pc of the population of Ireland.
Eir CEO Carolan Lennon said she is proud to see the roll-out of the network continue at pace, despite Covid-19 restrictions.
“As we continue to live with the Covid-19 pandemic, Eir is acutely aware of the importance of connectivity for customers, for business owners and for the continuation of many aspects of our lives,” she said.
“The transformation of our mobile network ensures that Eir offers the best coverage and connectivity to our customers in every corner of Ireland, enabling our customers to live, work and connect reliably and at speed, wherever they choose in the country.”
Earlier this year, Eir acquired Irish IT services provider Evros in a bid to strengthen its portfolio of enterprise communication services.
The future of 5G
Focus on 5G connectivity has ramped up in the last year, with the mass move to remote working playing a significant role in the need for strong connectivity.
A Huawei survey in December 2020 claimed that there is significant demand for 5G across Ireland, with 80pc believing network coverage should be widespread by 2025. More than half of respondents said they expect 5G to play an important role in Ireland’s economy after Covid-19, while almost three-quarters said that it is very or extremely important for Ireland that the technological infrastructure is in place so people can work remotely.
Other players in the Irish 5G market include Three, which switched on its 5G network in September last year. Vodafone Ireland began the roll-out of its 5G services in 2019, and also launched Ireland’s first standalone private 5G network last month in Mullingar with Irish Manufacturing Research.
