Pure Telecom’s Paul Connell with Open Eir director Orlagh Nevin. Image: John Ohle
Pure Telecom wholesale deal with Eir opens it up to 2m potential customers.
Pure Telecom is on an aggressive growth path to reach 100,000 residential customers by 2019, and a new two-year deal with Open Eir worth €35m will prove pivotal.
The deal follows a €20m agreement between the two companies signed in June 2015.
Incumbent national telecoms operator Eir is on track to deliver fibre broadband to 1.9m homes and businesses by 2018. Earlier this year, Eir signed an agreement with the Irish Government to invest an additional €200m to upgrade 300,000 premises in 890 communities to fibre broadband.
Pure Telecom’s customer base rose 25pc on 2015 figures, reaching 42,500 in 2016. The rise in numbers led to the company’s best ever financial year, up 17pc on 2015 figures to reach €20m.
Pure Telecom, which employs 100 people, said that demand for broadband services is also at an all-time high as an increasing amount of consumer leisure time relies on a high-speed internet connection.
Connecting rural Ireland
“Open Eir has the most extensive phone and high-speed broadband network in Ireland, and one which is growing by the day,” said Pure Telecom director Paul Connell.
“We are delighted to announce this agreement as it is key to helping us extend our reach to existing and potential customers in cities and towns across the country, as well as rural Ireland. It will help us to meet our target of 100,000 residential customers by 2019, which we are already well on our way to achieving.”
Open Eir’s director of sales, marketing and service, Orlagh Nevin, said it made sense for the companies to partner again because of Pure Telecom’s ability to attract and retain customers.
“Earlier this year, we made a commitment to the Government that we would connect 300,000 homes in 890 communities throughout the country to fibre broadband – an investment of more than €500m in fibre,” Nevin said.
“This means that by the end of next year, two years ahead of our initial target date, we will have a fibre broadband footprint of 1.9m premises in Ireland – greater than any other operator in the country.”
