€500m rural broadband investment will boost Construction and Telecoms industries

26 Jan 2015

The Government will invite bids for the rural broadband scheme by the end of 2015. The project budget is estimated to be €500m and will represent a major boost for the construction industry as well as the telecommunications sector.

The roll-out of the scheme will result in job opportunities for Civil Engineers, Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Major players in the Irish telecommunications industry such as Eircom, Vodafone and BT are expected to bid for the contracts. The scheme aims to provide every rural home and business in the country with high-speed broadband of at least 30 megabits per second by the year 2020, and will be financed by a combination of public and private finance.