Pure Telecom signs €10M BT Ireland broadband deal

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.”