Louth Gigabit Broadband

Over A Third of Louth Homes and Businesses Now Have Access To SIRO’s Gigabit Broadband

SIRO, the wholesale broadband operator building a 100% fibre-optic broadband network in 50 towns nationwide, today announced that 22,000 homes and businesses in Louth – 11,000 in Drogheda and 11,000 in Dundalk – now have access to its 1 Gigabit (1,000Mbps) broadband network. Packages are already available from Vodafone and Digiweb as the company’s rollout in the towns continues in response from demand from Dundalk and Drogheda residents.

SIRO’s Gigabit connectivity will allow residents and businesses of the two Louth towns to avail of broadband that is three times faster than the best service available in Dublin (350 Mbps) and 10 times more powerful than the fastest average internet speed in Ireland. SIRO’s 100% fibre optic network is unprecedented in Ireland. Its Fibre-to-the-Building technology, with no copper at any point to slow it down, is recognised as the gold standard for broadband connectivity internationally.

The company is transforming the internet experience of Drogheda and Dundalk, thrusting them into the same leagues as international hubs like Hong Kong and Tokyo for broadband connectivity, creating a platform for future economic development. For context, downloading a high definition (HD) film of 4 GB (Gigabytes) with a 10 Mbps connection takes an hour – with SIRO it takes 30 seconds.

Stephen O’Connor, Director of Corporate Affairs at SIRO, said:

“We are very excited by the progress of SIRO’s roll out of 100% fibre-to-the-building broadband network to Dundalk and Drogheda. There is nothing faster than the speed of light, so residents and businesses will be guaranteed the best broadband experience in the country thanks to SIRO’s 100% fibre optic network. Dundalk was the first town in the country connected to the SIRO network and the demand has been phenomenal to date.”

“The Mill in Drogheda became the second regional hub to be powered by SIRO’s 100% fibre-optic network in February and has already established itself as a vibrant start-up centre for the area. We are delighted to help play a role in its success by giving companies in residence at the Mill access to the most powerful broadband available in Ireland, enabling them to have the same competitive advantage in terms of connectivity as their international peers.”

“The Mill was quickly followed by Dundalk Institute of Technology’s Regional Development Centre, the first on-campus higher education incubation centre to receive two years of free gigabit fibre broadband from SIRO and Vodafone as part of the companies’ national Gigabit Hub Initiative. This future-proofed network is a game-changer, transforming broadband in Drogheda and Dundalk now and for decades into the future.”

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 110,000 premises, with services now live or under construction in 25 towns across the country including Dundalk, Carrigaline, Sligo, Letterkenny, Tralee, Cavan, Wexford, Skibbereen, Drogheda, Mullingar, Portlaoise, Ennis, Castlebar, Westport, Limerick, Newbridge, Carlow, Swords, Balbriggan, Bray, Greystones, Athlone, Killarney, Shannon and Mallow.

SIRO is offered on an open-access basis to all telecoms retailers in Ireland. SIRO has formed partnerships with Vodafone, Carnsore Broadband, Digiweb, Rocket Broadband, Kerry Broadband and WestNet, with more retailers expected to come on board as the company drives competition in the wholesale broadband market.

A video of Colm Hanratty of Six-Two Digital, located at The Mill in Drogheda, the second hub to receive two years of free gigabit fibre broadband from SIRO and Vodafone as part of the companies’ national Gigabit Hub Initiative can be viewed here. Since joining The Mill and using its SIRO connectivity, Colm has won new business across Ireland while being able to enjoy the quality of life in his hometown of Drogheda.