Kilrush marina. Image: © Les Scott/Stock.adobe.com
Fibre-connected hub could act as a socioeconomic powerhouse for Kilrush.
A new start-up and co-working hub in Kilrush, Co Clare, has been connected with 1Gbps broadband by Enet.
The Kilrush Hub was officially opened in March 2018, as one of the measures contained in the Clare County Council Digital Strategy, which seeks to provide communities with access to broadband infrastructure and facilities.
The superfast internet connectivity now available at the Kilrush Hub provides users with access to next-generation telecommunications including high-definition video conference calling and mobile technologies, along with faster upload and download speeds.
Your local MAN
From left: Leonard Cleary, Clare County Council; Pádraig Neylon, AddJust; Niall Beirne, Enet; and Urban McMahon, Clare County Council. Image: Eamon Ward
The 1Gbps fibre connection is being delivered straight into the facility via the local metropolitan area network (MAN).
“The local authority facility is proving very successful due to its catchment area and population size, with an array of people using the facility,” said Clare County Council CEO Pat Dowling. “The users include local residents, visitors to west and north Clare, local enterprises and entrepreneurs, and e-workers.”
The objective of the new hub is to act as a social and economic enabler for the town of Kilrush and its surrounding areas.
“There is no doubt that MAN-enabled locations such as Kilrush gain a significant competitive advantage through the availability of high-speed broadband,” said Enet communications chief Niall Beirne. “We would like to congratulate the local authority in having the foresight to bring this strategy to life.”
Enet is one of a number of firms providing services to the final bidding consortium for the National Broadband Plan (NBP), National Broadband Ireland, which is led by Granahan McCourt. Other firms supplying this consortium include Actavo, Nokia, Kelly Group and KN Group.
The company last week beefed up its leadership team with new CEO Peter McCarthy and a number of senior executives.
Last month, we reported that the Irish Infrastructure Fund acquired 100pc of Enet after buying out the remaining stake held by Granahan McCourt.
Enet, which employs 100 people, operates fixed and wireless backhaul infrastructure across Ireland, including the 94 MANs it operates on behalf of the Irish Government. It works with more than 70 telecoms operators.
