Ennis is country’s latest Gigabit town

ENNIS is to benefit from broadband speeds on a par with those in Tokyo and faster than in Dublin, resulting in a boost for local business.

The town is to be catapulted into the international leagues when it comes to broadband connectivity with the announcement that the county capital is Ireland’s latest Gigabit Town.

Minister of State for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen announced last Friday that Ennis is to be powered by SIRO’s 100% fibre-optic gigabit broadband network.

Residents and businesses will be able to avail of SIRO’s Gigabit connectivity (1,000Mbps), which is three times faster than the best service available in Dublin and 10 times more powerful than the fastest average internet speed in Ireland.

At the announcement in Ennis Deputy Breen said, “I am delighted to unveil Ennis as Ireland’s latest Gigabit Town. This announcement is good news for Ennis and means that businesses in the town are on a level playing field with those in our main cities – with broadband speeds on a par with those found in Tokyo and Hong Kong

“As we have already seen, the Mid-West has the fastest growing employment rate in Ireland and I am confident that faster broadband for Clare’s county town will help to propel this momentum further.
“The Gigabit connectivity delivered to Ennis by SIRO will help build upon this success by attracting more investment to Ennis, as well as giving our entrepreneurs the opportunity to establish their businesses and encourage others into the world of entrepreneurship.”

Mayor of Ennis Ann Norton said the purpose of the event was to provide information to members of the local community and business operators on the technology involved and the benefits of fibre to Ennis. She noted that 2017 marks 20 years on from Ennis being named Ireland’s Information Age Town, which “ultimately established the Clare county capital as one of the best connected urban locations in the country”.

She continued, “A lot can change in two decades. Technology and the means by which we communicate with each other are constantly evolving and we welcome this investment in our town’s telecommunications infrastructure, which will help our community grow and prosper.”

President of Ennis Chamber William Cahir added,“The availability of the type of connectivity now being delivered to Ennis by SIRO is a huge advantage for local businesses to grow and compete in their chosen fields. The very fact that SIRO are constructing their own network provides the assurance and the confidence that businesses need to have in their chosen service providers.
“The availability of a 100% fibre-optic gigabit network within the town not only allows existing businesses to operate at the optimum level that is now required in all industries, it also greatly enhances the attractiveness of the town for future development and investment.”

Stephen O’Connor, SIRO director of corporate affairs, said, “Gigabit connectivity will be as transformative for Ennis as the roll-out of electricity in the town. Broadband is at the heart of everything in everyday life, whether it’s streaming a movie or selling a product to someone from the opposite corner of the globe.

“By having the same Gigabit connectivity as a city like Tokyo, it means that the people of Ennis will be able to experience the latest advancements in areas like online education and entrepreneurs will be able to bring their ideas to life, as they will have access to the gold standard in broadband.”

Using the existing ESB network, SIRO is delivered by fibre-optic cables all the way to the building.
This technology, known as Fibre-to-the-Building, has no copper connections at any point to slow down the network and delivers 1 Gigabit download and upload speeds. For context, when downloading a standard high definition film (4 Gigabytes) with a 10Mbps connection, the average download time is an hour, with SIRO it takes approximately 30 seconds.

As an open-access wholesale provider, SIRO is also driving competition in the broadband market with five retailers, Vodafone, Digiweb, Westnet, Carnsore and Skytel Broadband, signed up thus far and discussions continuing with other providers.