Eir CEO Oliver Loomes.
The company is pushing forward with its goal of connecting 1.9m premises in Ireland to its fibre network.
Eir has reported steady progress in connecting Irish premises to its fibre network, along with solid growth to its customer base.
In its latest earnings report, the company said it now has 879,000 customers connected to its fibre network, up 3pc year on year. Eir said this represents 93pc of its total broadband base.
The number of premises that now can connect to Eir’s fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network is 1.2m homes and businesses – which could serve approximately 3m people according to Eir. The company has been expanding this network in recent years – it passed the 1m premises milestone in early 2023.
The company is working towards a goal of reaching 1.9m premises in Ireland with its FTTH network by the end of 2026 and has been investing heavily to reach this target. Last year, the company said it expects to spend €250m per year until the end of 2026 to meet its commitment.
Commenting on the company’s earnings, Eir CEO Oliver Loomes said the company had a “steady start to the year” and that its customer base for fibre and mobile services has grown by 135,000 over the past year.
“Our 5G network has grown to encompass more than 600 villages, towns and cities offering ultrafast data speeds that set new benchmarks for connectivity across the nation,” Loomes said. “A dynamic telecommunications infrastructure is crucial for Ireland’s transformation into a technologically advanced and interconnected society. Eir is fully committed to playing its part in making Ireland one of the most technologically sophisticated countries in the world.”
Eir’s revenue for its second fiscal quarter was €320m, an increase of 1pc compared to the same period last year. The company’s operating costs grew by 4pc during the same period, mirroring its previous quarter where it reported steady customer growth alongside mounting costs.
Meanwhile, Eir’s public image took a hit last year when a ComReg investigation found that the company had overcharged an estimated 76,000 customers in the past, which resulted in a €2.45m fine.
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