From left: SIRO CEO John Keaney, SIRO CTO Suzanne Tracy and Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste. Image: Julien Behal Photography
Parts of the city now serviced by the broadband company include the Docklands, East Wall, Walkinstown, Kimmage and Crumlin.
Siro, the broadband company set up as a joint venture between ESB and Vodafone, has invested €100m in an expansion of its services in Dublin.
The company announced today (15 January) that its services are now available to 50,000 homes and business across the city. That figure goes up to 100,000 premises overall across the wider Dublin area after expansion to areas underserved by fibre-to-the-home broadband.
While Siro said its network is already well established across parts of the city such as Fairview, Raheny, Finglas, Artane and Coolock, the latest expansion has covered areas such as the Docklands, East Wall, Walkinstown, Kimmage and Crumlin.
Daithí de Róiste, Lord Mayor of Dublin, noted the expansion as a “really positive investment” for the city of Dublin as “essential digital infrastructure” can now reach underserved areas.
“We need to ensure that all of our communities have access to high quality broadband services and are not left behind as the adoption of new technologies and digital services continues to accelerate.”
Siro said the latest investment is in addition to its expanded network footprint across Dublin’s local authority areas, from Balbriggan in Fingal to Shankill in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. It now plans to expand wherever “other commercial opportunities exist” in Dublin.
John Keaney, chief executive of Siro, said that is inaccurate to presume Irish cities already enjoy universal full-fibre connectivity, and that poor broadband can exist in cities and suburbs just as much as it can be found in more remote areas.
“Yet, future-proofed and reliable fibre connectivity is key to the economic life of our capital city and in all the communities which make up its constituent parts. Siro is rolling out our network across Dublin, city and county, because a real need exists to address existing connectivity blackspots,” he said.
“By now reaching areas underserved by fibre-to-the-home broadband, such as the Docklands, East Wall, Crumlin and Walkinstown, we are striving to ensure these areas have the broadband infrastructure essential for the future wider social and economic development of the city.”
Formed in 2015, Siro has to date rolled out its full-fibre broadband network across more than 135 towns and cities and is available to almost 550,000 homes and businesses. The company says it is on track to reach 700,000 premises by 2026.
Last month, the company said it has teamed up with telematics business Geotab to help transition its fleet to electric vehicles. In November, Siro won the Innovative Models of Financing, Business and Investment category at the European Broadband Awards 2023.
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