More than 1,000 skilled jobs have been created by the project in less than 17 months. 

Further employment opportunities will be created as the programme continues to roll out across the county, with 1,800 jobs expected to be created over the life of the project

National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company delivering the National Broadband Plan (NBP) on behalf of the government, has announced that more than 1,000 people have been employed by the project since it commenced in January 2020. 

One of most ambitious telecoms projects

As the biggest and most significant investment in rural Ireland, the National Broadband Plan is viewed as one of the most ambitious telecoms projects globally and will provide high-speed fibre broadband to more than 1.1 million people.

Responsible for designing, building and operating Ireland’s new high-speed fibre broadband network, NBI has grown its team from just over 30 personnel to 230 in the 17 months since work began. NBI is also responsible for managing an extensive supply chain of specialist subcontractors to help deliver the National Broadband Plan, which has created further job opportunities for over 800 people to-date. 

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD, said: “I believe the National Broadband Plan will be transformative for Ireland.  By closing the digital divide the between urban and rural areas we will open up opportunities for more people to live, work and grow a business in Rural Ireland. 

"It will also ensure that children growing up in the Rural Ireland will have the same access to on-line educational resources as their urban peers, workers will have more remote working opportunities and patients living in rural areas can be part of the eHealthcare revolution that’s on the way.”

“The National Broadband Plan is the largest investment in rural Ireland ever and something I am tremendously proud of.  After years of poor service, every home, farm and business will get reliable, high-speed broadband, no matter where they are.”

“These 1,000 plus jobs are providing opportunities for people living in every county in the country.  We’ve all seen the true value of connectivity over the past year. I know National Broadband Ireland has worked hard to implement the Plan as quickly and efficiently as possible, despite the challenges of the pandemic.”

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD said: “The National Broadband Plan is a transformational project and a key element of Project Ireland 2040, our long-term strategy to create a better Ireland for every person.

"Better access to broadband will help facilitate more learning and remote working and more balanced regional development, spreading jobs and prosperity right around the country.

"The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is working closely with NBI to deliver this ambitious infrastructure and I am pleased that the rollout has provided more than 1,000 skilled jobs to date, with ongoing employment opportunities in every county across the country.”

The National Broadband Plan will connect more than 544,000 homes, businesses and farms across Ireland to high-speed fibre-to-the-home broadband, using enough fibre to go round the world nearly four times.  At the peak of the roll-out, it is expected that up to 1,800 jobs will be created by the National Broadband Plan.

David McCourt, chairman at NBI, said: “Our teams working on Ireland’s National Broadband Plan represent some of the best and brightest minds in telecoms anywhere in the world.  Since the contract became effective in January 2020, we have rapidly grown our team at NBI and worked closely with our key sub-contractors who are managing expanding workforces to collaboratively deliver on this landmark project.” 

Utilise local talent

“As a project of national importance, operating across every county, it is vitally important that we utilise local talent in every area of our build and we are delighted that despite the challenging environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that we’ve been able to successfully attract and recruit more than 1,000 people who each play their vital roles.”

Working in partnership with NBI, more than 20 specialist subcontractors are helping to create extensive job opportunities across the country. While employment has been realised in every county, Kildare (69), Donegal (31), Cork (49), Cavan (23), Kerry (69), Limerick (78), Tipperary (35) Kilkenny (22) and Offaly (28) has been particularly high. A total of 55 positions have also been filled from the live register.

Employment opportunities on the National Broadband Plan span the survey, design and build of the new high-speed fibre network, as well as roles across IT, network operations, sales and marketing, legal and project management. 

David McCourt, Chairman at NBI continued: “Our teams nationwide have conducted almost 223,000 surveys and over 174,000 designs of individual premises which are the critical first steps in this ambitious roll-out.

"This has led to 92,000 premises currently being in build with over 19,000 currently ready for order. The survey work involves physically walking the routes where fibre will be laid. While working in accordance with the government’s COVID-19 guidelines to keep our teams and the public safe, we are doing everything in our power to ensure we can connect premises as quickly as possible.”

To find out more about employment opportunities created by the National Broadband Plan, visit www.nbi.ie/careers/ or if you wish to check eligibility and register for updates, visit www.nbi.ie.