Survey Highlights Increased Trend of Buying Irish During Pandemic, with Large Majority Intending to Continue to Do So after COVID-19.

SIRO Chief Commercial Officer Ronan Whelan: “Despite physical business closures over the past year, Irish consumers have looked to support local, Irish businesses. There is a huge opportunity for Irish businesses, post-pandemic, to continue to tap into the COVID-19 groundswell of consumer goodwill and loyalty toward Irish businesses.  However, it shouldn’t be taken for granted, with businesses still needing to improve in areas such as delivery charges and customer services”. A consumer survey undertaken by fibre broadband wholesaler, SIRO, has found high levels of support for Buying Irish amongst Irish consumers during COVID-19.  The research found that half of those surveyed indicated that they bought more Irish goods and services during the pandemic than previously and that their preference for Irish-first will continue post-COVID-19. Key findings from the research include: Importance of Buying Irish: 89% of people cite Buying Irish as being important to them, of those 37% believe it to be very important and 52% somewhat important. 11% stated they did not see it as important. Buying Irish during the pandemic: 50% of those surveyed responded that they are buying more Irish goods and services during the pandemic than they were prior to COVID-19. 41% stated the extent to which they Buy Irish is unchanged, with 7% buying less and 2% not sure. Buying Irish post-COVID-19: Of those who are buying more Irish goods and services during the pandemic, 79% say they will continue to prioritise Buying Irish after the pandemic has ended; with 19% not sure and 2% saying they will buy less. Support for Buying Irish amongst age groups and genders: Those 18-30 years of age are significantly more likely to see Buying Irish as ‘very important’ relative to older age groups. Equally of those surveyed, women were more likely to Buy Irish than men. Although no notable regional differences emerged. Reasons for Choosing Irish: The top three reasons are Buying Irish goods and services cited by respondents were supporting Irish and local businesses at 82%, the quality of goods and services at 63% and avoiding import taxes and charges at 49%. Most frustrating aspects of Buying Irish: The most common issues amongst respondents were delivery charges at 66% and customer services issues at 38%. Finally, when asked about choosing a broadband provider 34% surveyed had switched provider in the past year, with a desire for higher speeds and better value being the most cited reasons. Commenting on the survey results, SIRO Chief Commercial Officer Ronan Whelan noted: “What comes through so clearly in our research is that, despite physical business closures over the past year, Irish consumers in large numbers have looked to support local, Irish businesses, such as through online or click and collect services. This support for local and Irish has been pivotal in keeping many businesses afloat during the darkest days of COVID-19. “As Ireland now looks to recover and rebuild keeping this support engaged will be crucial. There is a huge opportunity for businesses to continue to tap into the COVID-19 groundswell of consumer goodwill and loyalty toward Irish businesses, once the pandemic has passed. “However, customer loyalty is earned and shouldn’t be taken for granted, with businesses still needing to continuously innovate and improve in areas such as delivery charges and customer services. “Today, SIRO is excited to announce that we are joining Guaranteed Irish. It’s a natural fit for SIRO. As an Irish company with a footprint across Ireland and through our work in connecting homes and business to high quality fibre broadband, like Guaranteed Irish, we have a shared objective of empowering Irish businesses to prosper and grow”. Guaranteed Irish CEO Bríd O’Connell stated: “I am delighted to welcome SIRO on board. As Ireland’s leading fibre optic broadband network, SIRO embraces our core values of building sustainable communities through enterprise, backing local jobs, and supporting homegrown Irish businesses to recover and grow. These values are showcased through SIRO’s commitment to connecting homes and businesses to high quality fibre broadband, in turn benefiting our local economy and supporting Irish jobs particularly in communities throughout the country.”

SIRO, the wholesale joint venture between ESB and Vodafone, have today announced that they have now rolled out their best-in-class gigabit fibre broadband to over 43,000 homes and businesses in Cork city and county. The company also announced that an additional 11,500 premises will be passed by the end of this year, bringing the total number to just under 55,000 or a third of all homes and businesses in Cork. Initially announced in 2017 by then Tánaiste and Minister for Transport, Simon Coveney, SIRO ambitiously set out to make Cork the “Broadband Capital of Ireland”. Since then, SIRO has been actively building a new national telecoms infrastructure right across Cork city and the wider county. SIRO’s network now stretches right across Cork city from Ballincollig, Glasheen, Bishopstown Douglas and Rochestown to Glanmire and within the county to towns such as Mallow, Midleton or Skibbereen. Nationally, SIRO has passed 375,000 homes and businesses right across regional Ireland. The SIRO network delivers 100% fibre all the way into the home or building, with no copper at any point all the way. This a high-quality, reliable and fast connection, with no slow down when multiple devices are working simultaneously, with equal download and upload speeds. Notwithstanding the restrictions due to COVID-19, SIRO has continued its fibre broadband roll-out across Cork during the pandemic. The need for connectivity amidst a global pandemic has motivated the company to further expedite their rollouts wherever possible. Cork residents, like those in every town and city across Ireland over the last 12 months, have had a huge demand for high quality broadband to enable remote working and trading online for local businesses, home schooling, movie and video streaming or online shopping. SIRO’s network has underpinned a new normal of large file sharing, video calls and live collaborative spaces. The company sees that even as the country opens up from lockdown that these trends will grow rather than revert to old ways of living and working. Commenting on the announcement, Cork Build Manager, Tricia McElliot said:

“We are delighted with the progress SIRO and our partner CBE have made in making Cork city and county. The efforts made by our dedicated build team and contractors is something that is commendable, especially as construction ceased temporarily as a result of the pandemic. Connectivity is not just for the pandemic, and SIRO’s 100% FTTP broadband aims to future proof homes and businesses for future data demand.”

John Keaney, SIRO CEO and Chair of Telecommunications Industry Ireland elaborated:

“SIRO are dedicated to our roll out in Cork City and County. Our roll out in the past year has been remotivated by the onslaught of COVID-19 and as a wholesaler, we are committed to delivering  resilient, quality FTTP broadband for homes and businesses across Cork. By the end of 2021, we will see approx. 55,000 homes and businesses across the Rebel County connected as part of our Phase One roll out, with plans to further develop our roll out across the county. Life is different now, and Cork’s broadband landscape is too."

SIRO is available to order from homes and businesses from the following retailers in Cork: Vodafone, Sky, Digiweb, PureTelecom, Nova Broadband and Viatel. Search your Eircode and find out if your home or business is SIRO ready.

SIRO, the joint venture between ESB and Vodafone, has today announced that they have reached a new milestone in Galway city of 25,000 homes and businesses passed. This milestone means that homes and businesses in Galway city and surrounding areas can now avail of the best-in-class fibre broadband connectivity. Notwithstanding the restrictions due to COVID-19, SIRO has continued its fibre broadband roll-out across Galway city during the pandemic. Over the last six months from September 2020 to end March 2021, SIRO rolled out fibre to 10,000 additional homes and business. The need for connectivity amidst a global pandemic has motivated the company to further expedite their rollouts wherever possible. Galway residents, like those in every town and city across Ireland over the last 12 months, have had a huge demand for high quality broadband to enable remote working and trading online for local businesses, home schooling, movie and video streaming or online shopping. Nationally, SIRO has passed 375,000 homes and businesses right across regional Ireland. In July 2019, SIRO commenced a €20m investment in rolling out the gold standard of connectivity to homes and businesses in Galway city, as part of its wider national fibre rollout programme. Less than two years on, SIRO’s fibre network is now available right across the city from east to west including: Oranmore and Oranhill, Roscam and Renmore, Ballybrit and Ballybane, Castlegar, Mervue and Salthill, Rockbarton, Shantalla and Rahoon, and Knocknacarra to Kingston. Tricia McElligott, SIRO’s Build Manager, responsible for the rollout of fibre in Galway remarked:

“Hitting the milestone of 25,000 homes and businesses passed in the city; and 10,000 over the last six months alone, is significant. Access to high quality broadband has never been so important to our communities and businesses. It has provided a lifeline to Galway businesses allowing them to trade online while their doors have remains closed, individuals to continue to work and for families and loved ones, physically separated, to remain virtually connected. “SIRO’s build team is incredibly proud to have played a small part in keeping Galway’s businesses and communities connected, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic”.

SIRO’s fibre-optic cables are faster and more reliable than copper cables, and households as well as businesses can now avail of speed up to 1Gb. Once connected, customers can choose from a variety of operators who are serving Galway city. The five operators available for homeowner are Digiweb, Sky, Vodafone, Airwire, and Pure Telecom. While four operators are available for businesses which are Digiweb, Viatel, Vodafone and Airwire. Commenting on the announcement, SIRO’s CEO John Keaney noted:

“Old copper networks are no longer fit for purpose and are leaving homes and businesses in the slow lane.  Across Ireland, reliable and fast internet with higher bandwidth is a necessity not luxury which adds an enormous responsibility in the work that we do. “Galway has always been a great and vibrant city. Fibre broadband provides a strong foundation for the continued development of the city and its businesses post-Covid, with enhanced connectivity also futureproofing the city for decades to come. So, the rollout of fibre in Galway city is an important part of SIRO’s ambitious plan for the country. “For SIRO, our roll-out is continuing but we’d urge all homeowners and businesses struggling with online connectivity to check if fibre broadband is now available in their area.”

Search your Eircode today and see if your home or business is SIRO ready.

  Over the last 12 months so much has changed in our lives in ways we could never have predicted. Yet, we have also adjusted, relatively, well to “the new normal”. With International Women’s Day upon us, where one of its’ missions this year is to “forge inclusive work cultures where women’s careers thrive”, it is timely to consider one of the biggest changes over the past year – working from home (WFH) – and its impact on women in the workforce. It is important to note, that while International Women’s Day highlights the significance of achieving gender equality in the workplace, it is a core goal that SIRO is committed to achieving all year long. As part of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, Goal 5 focuses on achieving gender equality and empower all women and girls, a goal which SIRO believes has become more relevant throughout the pandemic. During Level 5 lockdowns, over 40% of the Irish workforce worked from home. WFH quickly shifted from something done by a small segment of the population to a mainstream activity overnight. But for working women, the jury is still out on their recent experiences of WFH. For working mothers, anecdotal evidence paints a picture of exhausted mothers, at home and double jobbing between the paying office job and childminding and home schooling. Much of this narrative may be true but does it tell the full story of WFH for women? Not all women WFH are mothers or if they are, not all have childminding and home-schooling responsibilities. Equally, does it adequately take account of fathers and the roles they have also played in parenting during lockdown? Yet, according to OECD statistics, women in Ireland average almost 5 hours of unpaid work per day. While men in Ireland average just over 2 hours of unpaid work per day. The gap remains too wide. For true equality, we need a fairer sharing of responsibilities in the home. While the division of labour along traditional lines remains a factor, there are many reasons for this imbalance including more women opting to work as a full-time homemaker or women choosing to work part-time in a professional/paid role. The success or failure of the recent mass exodus toward WFH cannot be fully judged against a backdrop of extraordinary circumstances – schools and childcare facilities closed, shops, restaurants and other entertainment and leisure facilities shut, restricted travel, social distancing and no meeting with family, friends, and colleagues. Yet, for many the experience of WFH has been positive. Several employee surveys have shown a majority of employees either wish to remain working from home in a full or part time capacity, post-pandemic. As Chief Financial Officer at SIRO, a company rolling out high speed broadband across Ireland, I have more than a little vested interest in ensuring that WFH can work successfully, including for our employees. At SIRO we have long championed and promoted WFH amongst our non-field-based employees. This has allowed us to adapt more easily than others. We appreciate the huge benefits which can be derived from WFH and how life changing it can be. But as a woman too in this role, International Women’s Day, creates another moment to reflect on how we can continue to improve the lives of working women. With WFH, I see an opportunity for working women.

Opportunities of Working From Home

One of the greatest opportunities of WFH lies in its capacity to bring more women into the workforce. CSO data for the last quarter of 2020 tells us that while there was 69% male participation in the workforce, female participation lagged 13% behind at only 56%. And of these 56%, almost a third (30%) work part-time. Many factors such as access to and cost of childcare; commuting long distances to work; and even the cost of going out to work every day may make it unviable for women. WFH from home creates the capacity for women to reduce these barriers. The gender pay gap (GPG) is also linked, at least partially, to the issues outlined above. Eurostat data shows Ireland’s GPG stands at 14.4%. Campaigners seeking to close this gap, point out the gap effectively means women work for free from 9^th November to year end. WFH means women can work more flexibly, empowering women, who wish to, to shift from working part time hours to longer or full-time working, increasing their earnings and further reducing pay gaps. Another reason for the GPG is that, traditionally, men have tended to be in higher managerial roles, with higher salaries. Research has shown that despite equal qualifications, women are often not as confident as men in actively seeking promotions or putting their names forward for senior roles. Here too WFH might also be leading to shifting attitudes amongst women. Some women see WFH as a potential leveller in career advancement, helping to bridge the gap between the higher number of men in senior roles than women. Remote working may dilute many of the traditional male-dominated office networks from which some women have felt excluded.

The Introduction of a Hybrid Work Model

However, when lockdown restrictions ease, many organisations expect to transition to a ‘hybrid’ model of both WFH and team workplace-based activities. It will be critical that organisations ensure that this transition does not result in an imbalance, where women choosing to WFH, find themselves missing out on the networking opportunities at the office. This male networking culture is changing fast in Ireland. Indeed, in my industry, telecommunications, we have two of the leading telcos headed up women in Vodafone’s Anne O’Leary and Eir’s Carolan Lennon. Equally in public sector bodies such as ESB there is increasing diversity at senior levels. Within my own company, SIRO, we have a gender balanced leadership team, a board where a third are women and we continue to work to increase diversity across our business. Thankfully, my experiences both from a utility background and now a telecoms background, have been overwhelming positive in terms of career progression and diversity. WFH may bring a true meritocracy to career advancement and promotions across all industries resulting in greater diversity amongst those in senior roles not just between men and women but also those of differing sexual orientation, social backgrounds, or ethnicity etc. The global WFH experiment is only beginning. The years ahead will see it honed further. For all workers it creates many opportunities for people to enjoy greater flexibility, work on their own terms and to shape their working week around their wider lives. For women, it can breakdown many barriers which have traditionally excluded them from the workforce or career advancement. WFH may not always be perfect but it can be transformative, particularly for women, and that is something to celebrate on International Women’s Day. Michelle Mullally is SIRO Chief Financial Officer. SIRO is a joint venture company between ESB and Vodafone. It is delivering a 100% fibre-to-the-building broadband network with speed of 1 Gigabit per second across Ireland.

With thousands of professionals across Ireland now working remotely, Blacknight has entered the Irish residential broadband market to offer Gigabit Fibre Broadband services powered by SIRO. The company will initially target 162,000 premises in 12 locations across the country – Athy, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford Town, Gorey, Courtown, Sligo, Tralee, Limerick, Newbridge, Naas and Letterkenny and this will grow with the inclusion of Cork city and county in the coming weeks. The decision to enter the residential market comes in response to a spike in demand for quality broadband and ahead of legislation which will give employees the right to request remote working. Blacknight had previously been selling fibre broadband services to Enterprise and SME customers such as Golden Globe nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon, but has opted to expand its reach after an influx of queries from people working remotely. The launch is the first phase of a wider rollout, which will see Blacknight expand its residential broadband offer to more areas around Ireland. The strategy will see Blacknight target business and residential customers by offering a Fibre-to-the-Building connection to businesses to give them increased bandwidth to meet the data demands of remote workers, as well as giving professionals access to SIRO’s Gigabit 100% fibre broadband network, the gold standard for internet connectivity, to give them a seamless experience. Blacknight has been able to enter the residential broadband market due to its partnership with SIRO, the wholesale broadband provider building a €450 million 100% Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB) network across Ireland. Since its launch in 2015, SIRO has fundamentally changed the Irish broadband market by driving the adoption of fibre broadband, which is now available to over 1,100,000 premises – approximately half of the premises in Ireland – with a standard fibre speed of 500 Mbps available, a dramatic improvement on the standard 30 Mbps compared to 5 years ago. SIRO has also been able to drive competition in the market by enabling companies like Blacknight to enter the market. Commenting on the launch, Paul Kelly, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Blacknight, said: “Covid-19 has fundamentally changed how we work today and into the future. Remote working is suddenly a reality and we are seeing more professionals move from cities to regional towns, with a sudden spike in demand for high quality broadband as a result. Many of our business customers wanted to enter the residential market because of the quality service we offer, particularly we have the best customer service in the market as we are always there at the end of the phone to talk to customers.” “Partnering with SIRO means that we can offer the same standard of world class broadband that is available in Tokyo to our customers across Ireland. This is just the first phase of a bigger national launch as we look to keep up with demand due to the thousands of people who now call home their office” SIRO Chief Commercial Officer Ronan Whelan added: “Gigabit broadband is fundamentally reshaping how we live and work, and in turn sowing the seeds for a transformation of Ireland’s social and economic landscape. Reduced commute time, better work-life balance, improved productivity, and lower transport emissions are just some of the benefits we will see as professionals escape crowded cities to relocate for cheaper housing and better work life balance. We’re extremely proud to be driving this change by enabling partners like Blacknight help people do life differently.” As a SIRO retail partner, Blacknight is able to offer customers access to the wholesale broadband provider’s €450 million Gigabit broadband network, which is 100% FTTB and has no copper connections at any point to slow the service down. No other connection can compare with 100% fibre, which supports symmetric speeds of 1 Gigabit, 50 times the upload speeds of traditional copper networks. For context, downloading a high definition movie that is 4 gigabytes in size with a standard 10 Mbps connection would usually take an hour. In contrast, it takes 30 seconds with SIRO’s Gigabit broadband.

In October 2019, The Advertising Authority Standard for Ireland (ASAI) published guidelines regulating the use of the term ‘fibre’ in broadband advertising - broadband providers are required to specify whether their product is 100% Fibre, Part Fibre or All Copper. The ruling took effect from 1 December 2019. SIRO fully supports these guidelines and we encourage all consumers to actively seek information on the broadband service you’re buying. Stephen O'Connor, SIRO Director of Corporate Affairs, discusses how the new guidelines will enable greater transparency for the end consumers and benefit the development of FTTH in Ireland. Broadband as we know it is changing. As we consume more and more data, copper based broadband is increasingly unfit for purpose and is a fading technology which is being “switched off” in many countries. Full fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband is now considered globally as the gold standard of connectivity. Consumers look to ‘fibre’ for speed and reliability, yet many in Ireland are still unclear about what they are getting when they order a ‘fibre’ broadband service. In 2018, SIRO commissioned Kantar Millward Brown (KMB) to conduct market research investigating, amongst other things, consumer perception and understanding of the term ‘fibre’ in broadband marketing. This research found that over half of respondents were confused by the different uses of the term ‘fibre’ (e.g. ‘fibre-powered’, ‘fibre broadband’, ‘100% fibre’ etc.) in marketing campaigns (KMB, on behalf of SIRO). One respondent even believed that 100% fibre technology was only available “in the likes of Singapore and Hong Kong”. Telecom Regulator, ComReg, publishes a report each quarter on Irish household broadband subscriptions. There were 1.4m fixed subscriptions at the end of March and just over 900,000 of these are described as “DSL/VDSL (Digital Subscriber Line)” which sounds like advanced technology but are delivered in part over old copper lines. The thing is that many of these customers have purchased a broadband product with ‘fibre’ in its name unaware of the true nature of their connection. This lack of transparency is the issue that the Advertising Standard Authority for Ireland (ASAI)’s guidance note seeks to address. There is undoubtedly a demand for the “real" 100% fibre broadband in Ireland. Since SIRO launched, Irish FTTH subscriptions have grown from 8,000 in January 2017 to 108,000 subscriptions in March 2019, making it by far the fastest growing market segment.

The Importance of Transparency in Advertising

Currently there is little differentiation between part-fibre and full fibre networks in marketing and this has clouded the perception of 100% fibre among consumers. With a fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) connection, the presence of copper even in the last few metres between the street cabinet and the home significantly reduces internet speed. For example, the highest consistent speed with FTTC is less than 100 mbps (megabits per second), whereas a fibre to the home (FTTH) from SIRO delivers a reliable, consistent 1,000 mbps (or 1 Gigabit per second). According to the KMB research, speed remains the determining factor in consumer choice of broadband service but accurate speed information isn’t readily available, instead substituted by phrases like “lightning fast” or “superfast”. Consumers deserve transparency when purchasing any product and broadband advertising is no different. According to our research, 73% of consumers would like a “quality broadband mark” that guarantees the types of service they would receive. The new guidelines published yesterday stipulate that suppliers have to describe the network that the service is delivered across - 100% Fibre, Part Fibre or all Copper. This important change will help to provide clarity to consumers.

Developments in Europe

France was the pioneer in regulating broadband marketing. Since 2016 operators in France are under legal obligation to disclose how much of their network is Fibre if that term is used. For example: “The connection of the home is not all optical fibre but a mixture of Copper & Fibre…” In 2018, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCOM) found that retailers were misusing the term “fibra” (fibre) in their advertisements, and fined the offenders more than €13m. AGCOM ruled that from January 2019 retailers could not advertise “fibra” unless the full line was fibre and must say “Fibre on a copper mixed network” if its only part-fibre. A key policy objective of the European Commission is the establishment of the Digital Single Market (DSM) where EU citizens and businesses could avail of all the economic and societal benefits of the Gigabit society. These benefits can only be realised if there is widespread roll out and adoption of high speed broadband across the EU28. In September 2016, EU connectivity targets were set as follows: All schools, public services and enterprises would have access to 1 GB (1,000 MB) connectivity by 2025 and that all households would have access to a minimum of 100Mbps, upgradable to 1 GB. These targets and the realisation of an inclusive Gigabit society requires adequate and future-proofed infrastructure in place in all member states (European Commission). To this end, the new European Electronic Communications Code (EECC which will be transposed into Irish Law by December 2020) promotes and prioritises both the rollout and take-up of Very High Capacity Broadband networks (VHCN). Adoption of Very High Capacity networks like FTTH is jeopardised when consumers are confused by misuse of the word “fibre” in marketing. This in turn undermines the investment case for alterative operators considering building new high capacity networks – why invest millions of euro in capital in a superior network if all operators are allowed market themselves as “Fibre”?

The FTTH Council Europe are Calling for Change

This is an opinion which is shared by the FTTH Council Europe, which wrote an open letter to European Council ministers on the importance of transparency in broadband advertising. The Council argued that if a consumer believes they have a fibre connection, they are unlikely to change it, however, when consumers “are aware of the differences between 100% fibre and copper connections, they ultimately choose fibre”. This risks undermining both the aims of the new Code (access to and take up of Very High Capacity Networks) and the Digital Single Market. SIRO supports the ASAI’s new guidelines. The data usage needs of consumers are changing and they need transparent, reliable information to choose the network that suits those needs. Additionally, investors need assurance that if they finance and build the new high quality networks that Europe needs then they can differentiate that service when it goes to market. While it has been argued that using the terms “part” and “full” fibre may confuse consumers, the introduction of more accurate advertisements allows consumers to make a fully informed decision when choosing their connection.

The SIRO-Powered Brand Mark

Having access to reliable, high-speed broadband is vital as we continue to work, study, and socialise from home using a multitude of devices. The SIRO 100% fibre network guarantees excellent speeds and a connection that you can rely on when you need it most. We have partnered with the three most popular price comparison sites in Ireland - Bonkers, Choosey and Switcher – to show the SIRO-Powered Badge when our network is available in your home. When you see the SIRO badge, you can be confident that our internationally recognised gold-standard broadband technology comes all the way into your home. We want you to know that you are getting SIRO 100% fibre broadband installed in your home on business. Over 355,000 homes and businesses across regional Ireland now have access to SIRO broadband. So the next time you're looking for the best broadband deal online, make sure to look out for the SIRO-Powered badge to ensure you're getting the best broadband technology available in Ireland. For more information on FTTC vs FTTH, read our ‘Top 5 Fibre Myths Busted’ article. To check if you can avail of SIRO, visit siro.ie/search-your-address

Pure Telecom, Ireland’s high-speed broadband and telecoms provider, today announces that it has signed a deal with BT Ireland that will provide Pure Telecom with access to SIRO’s nationwide high-speed fibre broadband network, consisting of 338,000 premises across Ireland to date. As SIRO continues to connect urban and regional premises with Gigabit broadband, the BT deal – worth up to €10M – will allow Pure Telecom to expand its reach countrywide. BT won the highly competitive tender for its established network capability and excellent track record in delivering a leading edge service to Ireland’s wholesale broadband providers. Under the deal, BT will provide Pure Telecom with a comprehensive managed service, that helps bring its ultrafast broadband “Fibre to the Premises” (FTTP) product offering to the market. The service will be made available across Ireland at every location where there are FTTP services are available. The infrastructure agreement will help Pure Telecom to solidify its position as a major competitor in the Irish broadband market by driving down costs for consumers. The company has experienced a 30% increase in demand for its broadband services since the outbreak of COVID-19, which has been the catalyst for a rapid and widespread shift to remote working. Through its strategic partnerships, Pure Telecom can access existing and new broadband infrastructure across Ireland, enabling it to bring high-speed broadband to rural and urban premises as soon as it becomes available. With more people working from home, a reliable, uninterrupted high-speed broadband service is increasingly important. The SIRO Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) network covers more than 338,000 homes and businesses in 45 towns around Ireland. Because FTTH technology has no copper connection (which can cause congestion and slow speeds) it delivers a 1 Gigabit (1,000 Megabit) internet connection which can take care of anyone’s remote working and personal needs. As a result, there is no impact on the quality of service if a household has multiple devices in use at one time with data intensive services like video conferencing or streaming content. Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, said: “At Pure Telecom, we are consistently striving to get more people and businesses access to high-speed broadband. Too many homes and businesses in Ireland still don’t have fast internet access and it is detrimental to our society and economy – particularly at a time when everyone has been advised to work from home where possible. We have observed a significant increase in demand for our services since COVID-19 restrictions were introduced and we expect these to have a permanent impact on how people work and where. It has therefore never been more important for people to have the high-speed connectivity they need to work productively from their homes. “By partnering with BT, we will be one of the first providers to offer high-speed broadband to Irish towns and villages who previously didn’t have access. SIRO has been very proactive in its rollout of 100% fibre-optic technology and we look forward to being able to offer it to even more customers.” Peter Evans, Director of Wholesale, BT Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Pure Telecom and SIRO to bring yet more choice and connectivity to broadband users across Ireland, particularly in more regional towns. In the wake of COVID-19, as people have come to depend more on technology to communicate than ever before, it’s important that consumers and businesses have a wide range of services to choose from that best suit their needs.” Ronan Whelan, Chief Commercial Officer, SIRO, said: “COVID-19 has fundamentally changed how we work and live, so the importance of fast, reliable broadband has never been more evident. With 100% fibre-optic FTTH technology, SIRO’s Gigabit broadband is the most powerful in Ireland, helping people do life differently. This latest agreement highlights how SIRO is driving competition in the broadband market and helping to combat the digital divide that currently exists in Ireland. Pure Telecom’s commitment to provide customers with the best connectivity, competitive pricing and best-in-class service through our wholesale network is great news for residential and business customers throughout the country.”

New data from SIRO, based on usage of its broadband network, has shown that broadband usage levels have dipped by over 10% in recent weeks as a result of the reopening of schools. There is a direct link between the drop in demand and the typical school run time between 08.15 and 09.00 on weekdays, in contrast to when schools were shut, with data usage higher during that period. Similarly, an evening spike in data usage now happens at 21.40 in the evenings, thirty minutes earlier than usual, due to children going to sleep earlier at night. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the average household’s data usage has rise to over 16 Gigabytes per day, which is the equivalent of downloading four High Definition movies on a daily basis. Naturally with the majority of people still continuing to work from home, data usage during the day had increased as a result of households using services like Zoom, Netflix, Disney Plus and Fortnite. The top three busiest locations on the SIRO broadband network were Cork, Limerick and Dublin North West respectively. Cork and Limerick are neck and neck, with Limerick’s data usage coming in higher last Monday and Tuesday, but with the Rebel County ultimately topping the chart. There was similar levels of high usage in Newbridge and Drogheda, coming in fourth and fifth in terms of using, but with both locations alternating for fourth spot every other day. Commenting on the data, Ronan Whelan, Chief Commercial Officer of SIRO, said: “Since the outbreak of COVID-19, broadband usage has fundamentally changed as our kitchens became our home office and school suddenly switched to the living room. Remote working is now a reality and there is no doubt that even after the pandemic ends, that we will move to a new way of working, alternating our workdays between the office and our home. It has also proven that Gigabit broadband is the future, as Fibre-to-the-Home technology is able to cater for the demand of households using multiple devices during the course of the day, so there’s no chance of your video conference call dropping, when someone in another room decides to watch a show on a streaming service.”

The SIRO 100% Fibre Network

Using the existing ESB network, SIRO delivers fibre optic cables all the way to the building. This technology, known as Fibre-to-the-Building, has no copper connections at any point to slow down the network and delivers 1 Gigabit speeds. For context, downloading a high definition movie that is 4 gigabytes in size with a standard 10 Mbps connection would usually take an hour. In contrast, it takes 30 seconds with SIRO’s Gigabit broadband. The SIRO network now covers 340,000 premises, with services now live or under construction in 21 counties across the country. SIRO is offered on an open-access basis to all telecoms retailers in Ireland.  SIRO has formed partnerships with Vodafone, Sky, Digiweb, Pure Telecom, Carnsore Broadband, Airwire, Kerry Broadband and Rocket Broadband, with more retailers expected to come on board as the company drives competition in the wholesale broadband market.

SIRO, the open-access wholesale broadband provider delivering Ireland’s first 100% fibre-optic broadband network, has announced that its Gigabit broadband services are now available to over 15,000 homes and businesses in Galway city and the surrounding area after construction began last year. Services are already live through SIRO’s retail partners in Galway city, Oranmore, Ballybane, Doughiska, Roscam, Knocknacarra, Salthill, Renmore, Rahoon, Oranhill, Shantalla, Mervue, Ballybrit, Murrough and Castlegar. The €20 million construction project is already halfway through its rollout, with its Gigabit broadband services to be made available to another 15,000 premises. Development of the 100% fibre broadband network is being led by TLI Group – SIRO’s construction partner – who are contacting residents and business owners of premises due to be included in the next stage of the rollout.

High-Speed Broadband Available in Galway

SIRO’s Gigabit connectivity enables Galway residents and businesses to avail of Fibre-to-the-Building technology, which is recognised as the gold standard for broadband connectivity internationally. For context, downloading a high definition movie that is 4 gigabytes in size with a standard 10 Mbps connection would usually take an hour. In contrast, it takes 30 seconds with SIRO’s Gigabit broadband. Anyone wishing to avail of SIRO’s services can simply visit SIRO.ie and enter their Eircode to see if their premises is connected, before contacting one of their retail partners in Galway – Sky, Vodafone, Digitweb, Pure Telecom or Airwire –  to sign up. Commenting on the latest milestone, SIRO Director of Corporate Affairs, Stephen O Connor said “SIRO’s 100% fibre broadband provides the speed and reliability for you to do life different. SIRO is 100% fibre all the way into the home, with no copper at any point in the network, offering ultrafast speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second. There’s no limit to how many devices you can connect without slowing down performance. As a result, anyone connected in Galway will have the same world class broadband experience that is available in Tokyo.” Using the existing ESB network, SIRO delivers fibre optic cables all the way to the building. This technology, known as Fibre-to-the-Building, has no copper connections at any point to slow down the network and delivers 1 Gigabit speeds. The SIRO network now covers 340,000, with services now live or under construction in 21 counties across the country. SIRO is offered on an open-access basis to all telecoms retailers in Ireland.  SIRO has formed partnerships with Vodafone, Sky, Digiweb, Pure Telecom, Carnsore Broadband, Airwire, Kerry Broadband and Rocket Broadband  with more retailers expected to come on board as the company drives competition in the wholesale broadband market. To check if you can avail of SIRO, visit siro.ie/search-your-eircode

Life is different now in ways we’d never think possible. Living all aspects of our lives within the confines of our homes - working, keeping fit, socialising and staying in touch - might have started out as a temporary consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet will likely become part of the ‘new normal’ world post COVID-19. We are building a 100% fibre broadband network and at the heart of our business lies a mission: to facilitate positive changes in people’s lives. When daily lives revolve so much around the computer screen, we saw an opportunity to do our part in helping Irish people adjust to the new reality of living our lives through the screen. As part of our Do Life Different campaign, we have curated a series of virtual backgrounds that you can use for Zoom, the super popular videoconferencing platform. The backgrounds cater for many situations and preferences: the home office worker can get an office-looking background, the fitness enthusiasts can set themselves in a gym, the outgoing type can be a in a pub or a café. If you live in a crowded apartment, why not get your own empty kitchen space, or better yet, designer walk-in closets. All backgrounds are available for both desktop and mobile. In particular, we have chosen two backgrounds that reflect the reality we’re living in: the fox taking a casual stroll on Ha'Penny Bridge, and the beautiful Anne’s Lane in Dublin – completely empty except for its fabulous colourfull umbrellas. These have been our most popular downloads. So there you have it, a collection of Zoom virtual backgrounds for however you want to live your everyday life. In providing these, we hope to play a small part in helping you Do Life Different, whatever your ‘new normal’ will look like.