e|net, manager of Ireland’s fibre-optic Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) has signed a deal with BT for the provision of backhaul data services. The deal is valued in excess of €3m.
It means that e|net will be in the position to offer MAN customers access to the higher speeds and network reliability provided by BT’s global network which connects customers in Ireland to 170 countries and 250 cities worldwide.
Initially speeds available to customers will be up to one Gigabit (1,000,000,000 bits of information) per second.
Conal Henry, CEO of e|net commented that “This deal with BT is great news for people and businesses in MAN enabled towns. It helps e|net to continue to reduce any “digital divide” so that services and costs available in MAN enabled towns get ever closer to the best that are available in Dublin and major cities around the world.”
Shay Walsh, MD Wholesale, BT commented “We are delighted that e|net has chosen BT to be its primary provider of connectivity around Ireland. This deal further enables competition in the Irish market place”
There are currently over 600,000 users benefiting from the existence of the MAN’s. The Government is currently proceeding with a second phase of the Metropolitan Area Network Programme for the building of up to a further 66 MANs around Ireland. “ The 18 towns connected are Athlone, Ballina, Carlow, Carrick-on-Shannon, Clonmel, Cork, Drogheda, Dundalk, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Mullingar, Portlaoise, Roscommon, Sligo, Tullamore, Waterford, Wexford.