Open Eir engineering crew rolling out fibre broadband in rural Ireland. Image: Eir
Incumbent operator Eir reports strong momentum in uptake of fibre broadband.
Eir has reported Q1 revenues of €322m, and signalled that it is making progress in the roll-out of high-speed broadband as it surpasses 574,000 customers paying for fibre.
Fibre connections now account for 64pc of Eir’s total broadband base and 26pc of customers are now on triple- or quad-play bundles that include internet, mobile, TV and phone services.
‘During September, we also submitted 3,000 pages of information and maps as part of our detailed solution for the National Broadband Plan tender process’
– RICHARD MOAT
The company this morning (3 November) said that it has submitted a detailed solution for the National Broadband Plan tender and that it has already delivered fibre to more than 100,000 out of the 300,000 rural premises agreed with the Irish Government.
In terms of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connections, Eir said that about 16,000 connections are live.
Financially, the company’s first-quarter revenues of €322m were down €7m (or 2pc) on last year.
Eir reported EBIDTA (earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes and amortisation) of €3m, up 2pc compared with last year while operating costs have been reduced by €5m, down 4pc on last year.
Overall, Eir serves 903,000 broadband customers, out of which 574,000 are paying for fibre.
The company’s TV group, Eir Vision, has 74,000 customers, up 16,000 year on year. About 31pc of Eir’s 574,000 fibre customers are subscribed to Eir Vision.
From a mobile perspective, Eir now has more than 1m mobile customers, out of which 49pc are on post-pay contracts. Around 22pc of household customers include Eir’s mobile service as part of a bundle.
A quarter of Eir’s household revenue generating units (RGUs) are on either triple- or quad-play services while, on average, the company now counts 2.2 RGUs per household.
Strategy to connect 80pc of Irish premises with high-speed broadband by end of 2018
Eir CEO Richard Moat. Image: Eir
Eir CEO Richard Moat said that the operator is on track to deliver high-speed broadband to more than 80pc of homes and businesses throughout Ireland by the end of December 2018.
“This reflects our unrivalled knowledge, expertise and skills in this area. During September, we also submitted 3,000 pages of information and maps as part of our detailed solution for the National Broadband Plan tender process.
“This past quarter, we consolidated our mobile services under one ‘Eir’ brand, which now offers a suite of enriched propositions for all of our customers, whether fixed or mobile. More and more customers are opting for our value-rich bundles, which include an exciting range of the latest Eir sport content, with 26pc of households now on triple- or quad-play bundles.
“It has been a great start to the new season from Eir Sport with added content, including our inaugural live coverage of the GAA Club Championship action, which has proved very popular with our customers.
“This is a good start to the financial year and we remain on track to meet our full year outlook,” Moat said.
Updated, 9.36am, 7 November 2017: This article was updated to clarify that Eir aims to connect 80pc of Irish premises with high-speed broadband under its rural broadband commitment with the Irish Government by December 2018.
