EU: EC approves Irish State Aid for National Broadband Plan

The European Commission (EC) has approved Ireland’s €2.6 billion (US$2.9 billion) National Broadband Plan (NBP), which will bring high-speed broadband to consumers and businesses in areas with insufficient connectivity.

The new network will support download speeds of at least 150 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 30 Mbps. EU Competition Commissioner Margethe Vestager said the plan would address the digital divide between urban and rural areas in Ireland, stimulating the development of a modern digital economy.

The decision to approve the state aid was welcomed by Ireland’s Communications Minister Richard Bruton. He said it would allow the Irish Government to proceed to signing the contract with National Broadband Ireland (NBI), which was appointed as the preferred bidder for the programme in May 2019. 

The area to be covered by the NBP includes 1.1 million people and around 100,000 enterprises (54,566 farms and 44,000 businesses), as well as 695 schools. 

Full Content: Telecom Paper

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