Major National Broadband Plan update announced for Kildare
The TD said that the latest announcement marked ‘a significant milestone’ for the delivery of the plan
A major update relating to the National Broadband Plan (NBP) has been announced for County Kildare.
The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD (Fine Gael), has praised the progress of the NBP, and explained that September will see county completion milestones achieved in the counties of Monaghan, Laois, Leitrim, Sligo, Offaly and Kildare.
The latest announcement follows after it was reported earlier this year that more than 6,000 extra homes, businesses and farms in Kildare were now connected to the National Broadband Ireland network as a result of the rollout of the NBP.
According to a spokesperson from the Minister’s Department: “The rollout of the NBP to these counties represents over 80,000 homes, farms and businesses that can now connect to high-speed fibre broadband.”
“This is the result of some €315 million in government investment,” the spokesperson also said.
Moreover, they pointed out that, in the context of Kildare, more than 15,000 homes have been included in the NBP, totalling €53 million in government investment.
In addition, the spokesperson noted that more than 14,700 homes, farms and businesses in Kildare have already passed by the fibre network.
‘A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE’
Welcoming the latest update, Minister O’Donovan said: “September will mark another significant milestone in the delivery of the NBP, with six county closeout events taking place across the country as the main infrastructure build is completed in each county.
“The events will celebrate the completion of the main infrastructure build under the NBP and the availability of high-speed broadband connectivity to thousands of homes, farms and businesses.”
He continued: “The NBP is the most significant investment in rural connectivity since rural electrification, and is already delivering strong results nationwide, with hundreds of thousands of premises now passed by the network and take-up rates exceeding expectations.
“Importantly, the entire main infrastructure build under the NBP remains on schedule, with all infrastructure build expected to be completed by the end of 2026.”
He concluded by asserting that the latest announcement ‘represents a major milestone in delivering universal high-speed broadband access across rural Ireland’.
The NBP rollout in Kildare is expected to close out on Monday, September 28, 2026, and will take place inside Kildare County Council’s headquarters at Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas.
A full timeline on the NBP, which was first established back in 2020, can be viewed on nbi.ie.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.