Eir’s fibre broadband roll-out will see new services such as voiceover broadband and Wi-Fi emerge in the coming months. Image: Jamen Percy/Shutterstock
Eir said it is on track to reach 1.9m premises with high-speed broadband by the end of 2018, adding that 500,000 customers are now using fibre-based services.
The company reported its Q2 results this morning (26 January), with revenue momentum continuing as it notched up sales of €336m, up 2pc on last year.
The company said operating costs were down by €3m, or 2pc, year-on-year while EBIDTA was up by €4m (4pc).
‘Our rural 300,000 fibre roll-out programme is well underway, and we are on track to pass 1.9m premises by the end of 2018’
– RICHARD MOAT
The company now claims that around 500,000 customers are accessing fibre services.
Of this, roughly 53,000 homes and businesses are now passed with fibre to the home.
The company said that there has been a 31pc take-up of fibre, up from 26pc last year.
It added that 23pc of customers are now accessing triple- or quad-play bundles, and that it has reached 95pc of 4G population coverage, three months ahead of schedule.
From a telecoms company to a media company
Eir CEO Richard Moat. Image: Eir
CEO Richard Moat said the company has also seen strong momentum in its new TV division, with Eir Sport subscriber numbers increasing significantly.
“We remain focused on network investment, bundling and convergence, with all these initiatives underpinning our successful transformation from a telephony to a media company,” Moat explained.
“We have a fantastic set of content rights, which we are using to differentiate our consumer broadband offering.
“Eir Sport subscriber numbers have increased significantly, driven by exclusive content such as the historic Ireland versus New Zealand rugby match and the McGregor UFC fights, and there are now over 200,000 customers watching Eir Sport across a range of platforms including TV, laptops, tablets and handheld devices.”
Moat said that plans are afoot to launch new broadband-based products in 2017.
“Our vision for our customers is a converged future, providing seamless access to fixed and mobile services. This will be brought to life this year with the launch of new innovative products such as voiceover broadband, voiceover wi-fi and voiceover LTE services.
“Supporting this vision is an ongoing commitment to strategic investment that is unrivalled in Ireland.
“Our rural 300,000 fibre roll-out programme is well underway, and we are on track to pass 1.9m premises by the end of 2018,” Moat added.
