A number of Ireland’s larger fibre Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) cities and towns will play a central role in the IDA’s new €150m 5-year strategy.
The IDA is set to invest €150m between 2015-20 as it targets the creation of an additional 80,000 new FDI jobs. For this to happen, the IDA is hoping to secure a minimum increase in investment of 30%-40% in each region outside Dublin, with Dublin continuing to attract similar high investment levels as before.
A key part of this plan is the development of suitable facilities in the regions to house the new FDI investment projects over the coming 5 year. In recent months the IDA have announced plans to develop significant new facilities (Advance Building Solutions) in key strategic cities and towns, all of which have fibre MANs, including Athlone, Carlow, Dundalk, Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Tralee and Waterford.
Conal Henry, CEO of enet commented: “Many of the larger MANs cities and towns are set to play key roles in the roll-out of the IDA’s new €150m 5-year plan. This highlights the positive impact that the country’s MANs are having in supporting job creation and regional development across Ireland. The availability of widespread high-quality broadband to multinational companies investing here has contributed strongly to Ireland’s ability to attract foreign direct investment. The MANs also ensure that provincial cities and towns secure a greater share of the overall amount of foreign direct investment being won for Ireland by IDA Ireland.”
He continued, “While the MANs do not directly create jobs, they certainly enhance the capacity of the cities and towns with these fibre broadband networks to compete for these projects and remove potential barriers such as access to telecoms and high-speed broadband. It’s clear the investment in the MANs has delivered huge economic benefits for the people of Ireland.”