Over half of Ardee businesses receiving 250Mbs broadband
Ardee has become Ireland’s third “fibre town” as all businesses in the town centre are now connected to the world-class fibre network, according to fibre wholesale provider enet.
The €0.4 million network investment was made as part of enet’s Fibre to the Business (FTTB) project which has seen fibre delivered directly into every business in the Ardee town centre. Ardee businesses that signed up for the new fibre broadband with service provider, Ripplecom, are already experiencing the benefits with speeds of 250Mbs being available.
Ardee is the third town to benefit from enet’s world class digital infrastructure, following both Claremorris and Loughrea. Activation of the fibre network in Kilkenny city is underway, as construction has been completed. enet plans for these four locations to be the first of many as part of their commitment to the provision of world class fibre optic infrastructure to regional Ireland.
One of the many businesses who are already seeing the benefits of their new fibre connection is O’Brien’s Stationery and Office Supplies – a growing business that supplies office equipment and runs a printing and design service.
Conor O’Brien of O’Briens Stationery commented, “We rely very heavily on broadband in the store to receive orders, communicate with our suppliers, and as part of our printing service. With our previous network the broadband would drop continuously and we would often have to turn away customers as a result. Now that we have switched to enet’s fibre network, we have a guaranteed fast and reliable connection. We can complete print jobs in a much faster time and we can receive larger files in a much faster time. We have had to invest in more printing equipment to satisfy the customer growth! We are incredibly happy with our new network and what it will mean for the future of our business.”
In relation to the FTTB project, Joan Martin, Chief Executive of Louth County Council stated, “Louth County Council are strong supporters of enet’s Fibre to the Business (FTTB) project, as we have recognised from an early stage its huge potential for the business community in Ardee. This network is a priceless facility which will allow the town to position itself as a premier location for high-speed broadband services. Louth County Council has been supportive of this plan from day one and we were very happy to work alongside enet to ensure that the businesses of Ardee would receive world class premier broadband services, not only tremendously assisting existing businesses, but also having the potential to attract new businesses to the area.”
From the Louth Economic Forum Chairman Padraic White commented, “The Louth Economic Forum has warmly welcomed the implementation of the FTTB network. The Forum has identified broadband as playing a vital role in its work programme and as such, has included it in its 10 point action plan for Louth. The FTTB network in Ardee is a tremendous asset in encouraging online trade for existing businesses as well as encouraging additional startups to the Ardee Business Park.”
Conal Henry, CEO of enet, said, “Bringing broadband to rural areas is a hot topic in the telecoms industry right now, and here in enet we aren’t just talking about it – we are doing it. While many others are bringing ‘Fibre to the Slide’ we are out there bringing ‘Fibre to the Business’.