Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD, announced that the Metropolitan Area Network or MAN, has been activated in his hometown of Claremorris.
Thanks to the combined efforts of Claremorris Chamber of Commerce, enet, IDA Ireland, Magnet Networks and Mayo County Council, the town is now fully enabled for fibre-optic broadband speeds one hundred times faster than the typical internet connection.
Three initial connections to the network are live are being delivered by service provider Magnet Networks. These connections include retail technology and EPoS solutions provider, CBE; Ireland’s first and leading dental insurance company, DeCare Dental Insurance, as well as Mayo County Council.
On making the announcement, Minister Rabbitte, said, “Broadband is the key to inward investment in the regions. The Government can and does invest in telecommunications infrastructure where it is needed but local cooperation speeds up the process. Here in Claremorris I know the Council, the Chamber of Commerce and individual companies got together to make sure the project became a reality as quickly as possible. I am sure that is a model that will work well in other towns across Ireland.”
Commenting on the announcement, Eugene Waldron, President of the Claremorris Chamber of Commerce, said, “This is a red-letter day for Claremorris. The town is fully enabled with high-speed fibre optic cable. Jobs that depend on lightning-fast, affordable broadband are waiting to be won. The MAN is a priceless asset that will help Claremorris compete on the world stage. The Chamber will hunt hard for high-end jobs that will keep our kids here and our community strong.”
Maureen Walsh, CEO of DeCare Dental Insurance, added, “The connectivity that DeCare has achieved through the Claremorris MAN will have a significant effect on the competitiveness of our business, as the speed and efficiency of our operations is a vital component in our success. We currently employ over 90 people in our customer service and claims operation centre in Claremorris and this initiative will enable us to broaden the scope of our services even further and increase our staff by up to 10%.”
Gerard Conncannon, CEO of CBE, added, “CBE are delighted with the activation of the Metropolitan Area Network. It’s essential for our business. We built our new head office and R&D centre in Claremorris in the knowledge that we would have MAN access. Furthermore, it’s absolutely crucial for our export business. We can now send large files and software updates to our overseas customers instantly. All our software support is handled in Claremorris regardless of where in the world our software is installed. Had we not had MAN access, we would have had to look for another location.”
Mr. Conncannon concluded by saying, “I would like to congratulate and thank Claremorris Chamber of Commerce, Mayo County Council and IDA Ireland for their foresight and great work in driving this and making MAN a reality in Claremorris. Thanks to their efforts, Claremorris is well positioned to become the Silicon Valley of Ireland.”
CEO of Magnet Networks, Mark Kellett, said, “As a company we understand the need to be locally focused but globally connected. In Claremorris this local focus was supported by enet allowing us to provide our customers with a local connection to our advanced telecoms network that has both a national and international reach. Through this connection the town is now directly connected to the US and Europe. We look forward to further opportunities to work with the town of Claremorris in providing more businesses in the area with this level of connectivity and allowing them to take advantage of the range of services we offer.”
Commenting on the announcement, Conal Henry, enet CEO said, “enet’s experience is that, over time, the existence of a MAN has a vital and major impact on the range, quality and value of communications solutions for businesses and homes. Having activated the MAN in Claremorris, we look forward to delivering the same exciting results to the local businesses in the area.”