CONSTRUCTION is underway to provide high-speed broadband to almost 900 properties in the Portarlington area of Laois, including the rural townlands of Portarlington, Jamestown and Emo.

National Broadband Ireland (NBI) announced today that work has begun in these areas, which will deliver the new ‘future-proofed, high-speed Fibre-to-the-Home network’ under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

With survey and design phases complete, high-speed fibre cabling is being installed for 884 properties in the Portarlington deployment area, with connections to services expected to be available by the end of next year.

A total of 13,000 properties in Laois are included in the national intervention area, which will see NBI deliver minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to homes, businesses, farms and schools.

Works have already been completed in other parts of Laois, including the rural surrounds of Portlaoise and Mountrath. A total of 11,921 properties in the county can order or pre-order high-speed, reliable broadband, with 4,681 premises already connected to the network.

In what the government describes as ‘the biggest investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification’, Laois is receiving €49m of investment under the NBP.

The NBI website is regularly updated with estimated dates for when premises will be ready to order a connection. People can sign up for NBI email alerts at nbi.ie/eoi/. They can also visit nbi.ie/map and enter their Eircode to check if their property is ready to connect.

As a wholesale network operator, NBI does not sell fibre broadband directly but enables services from a range of broadband providers or retail service providers As a wholesale provider, NBI will make the new Fibre-to-the-Home network available to all RSPs operating in the intervention area. The retail broadband providers licensed to sell on the NBI network is available at NBI.ie/buy.

In advance of the Fibre-to-the-Home rollout, public Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are provided at sports clubs, community centres and tourist sites, giving free public access to high-speed internet in the rollout area. Other BCP categories include schools and marts.

BCPs in Laois include Emo ‘Old School’ Community Centre, Shanganamore Community Centre and Donaghmore Workhouse and Agricultural Museum.