The Government and private operator National Broadband Ireland (NBI) are "aiming to have a contract signed before the Ploughing Championships" to deliver the high-speed internet to every address in the country, NBI chief executive Peter Hendrick said this Saturday.
Hendrick, who has worked on the bid for the State-subsidised contract for the past three and half years, explained what happens now that NBI received "preferred bidder" status earlier this month.
"From now we move towards contract close or contract signing, which will take three to four months – we're aiming for mid-September," he told RTÉ's radio programme The Business. This includes checks on subcontractors and "making sure that everything we propose is up to standard," he added.
Seven years
The Government announced on 7 May that NBI, a company controlled by US-based investment fund Granaham McCourt, would receive up to €2.97bn to connect every home, farm and business to broadband within seven years.
Asked about NBI's capacity, Hendrick said that Granaham McCourt had developed 60 telecom networks around the world and held €40bn in investments in the sector.
He added that the subsidy would be lower if the project turned to be more profitable than planned, through a series of clawback clauses.
Our prices are benchmarked against urban prices
"If, for example, our cost for building the network is lower, the State gets a clawback," he said.
Hendrick guaranteed that rural people connected by NBI would get the same service as those in cities.
"We cannot increase the prices. Our prices are benchmarked against urban prices," he said.
The rollout will cover 130,000 homes within the first two years, as well as community access points in all 26 counties.
For the five following years, NBI will give 70,000 to 100,000 premises access to the service, Hendrick added.
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The Government and private operator National Broadband Ireland (NBI) are "aiming to have a contract signed before the Ploughing Championships" to deliver the high-speed internet to every address in the country, NBI chief executive Peter Hendrick said this Saturday.
Hendrick, who has worked on the bid for the State-subsidised contract for the past three and half years, explained what happens now that NBI received "preferred bidder" status earlier this month.
"From now we move towards contract close or contract signing, which will take three to four months – we're aiming for mid-September," he told RTÉ's radio programme The Business. This includes checks on subcontractors and "making sure that everything we propose is up to standard," he added.
Seven years
The Government announced on 7 May that NBI, a company controlled by US-based investment fund Granaham McCourt, would receive up to €2.97bn to connect every home, farm and business to broadband within seven years.
Asked about NBI's capacity, Hendrick said that Granaham McCourt had developed 60 telecom networks around the world and held €40bn in investments in the sector.
He added that the subsidy would be lower if the project turned to be more profitable than planned, through a series of clawback clauses.
Our prices are benchmarked against urban prices
"If, for example, our cost for building the network is lower, the State gets a clawback," he said.
Hendrick guaranteed that rural people connected by NBI would get the same service as those in cities.
"We cannot increase the prices. Our prices are benchmarked against urban prices," he said.
The rollout will cover 130,000 homes within the first two years, as well as community access points in all 26 counties.
For the five following years, NBI will give 70,000 to 100,000 premises access to the service, Hendrick added.
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