Kilkenny-based contracting company Gaeltec creating 150 new roles

Kilkenny-based utility contracting company Gaeltec is to create 150 new jobs, with 60 of these roles focused on supporting Siro's €620 million upgrade to its fibre broadband network.

Gaeltec said the new jobs come on the back of a number of big contract wins and coincide with a plan to invest €750,000 in expanding its headquarters.

Founded in 2003, Gaeltec employs 200 people in the Republic and a similar number in Britain and mainland Europe, where it also has substantial operations. A subsidiary of Portuguese services firm Telcabo, the company operates across both the energy and telecoms sectors.

Among the new roles being created are junior and senior engineering positions, field surveyors, fibre technicians, GIS technicians, supervisors, designers, electricians and plant operators.

Funding for Irish tech start-ups and SMEs rises to €1.3bn

---

IBM to add 200 jobs across its Irish operations

---

Investors wipe almost $200bn from value of Facebook owner Meta

---

Sales of Nintendo Switch top 100m, surpassing Wii’s lifetime figure

---

The positions will be located primarily in Gaeltec’s Kilkenny and Dublin offices, but a number, such as site staff, will be based on projects around the country.

"Today's jobs announcement is a significant milestone for Gaeltec. Our expansion is a mark of the reputation we have built in the Irish utilities market, and the confidence our customers place in our high standard of work and consistent track-record of delivery," said managing director Joao Felizardo.

Siro, an ESB-Vodafone joint venture, announced plans last October for a major €620 million upgrade to its fibre-to-the-home network that will nearly double its reach to 770,000 homes and businesses across more than 150 towns and cities by 2026.

Siro has spent more than €450 million on its network, which has to date passed almost 420,000 premises and has about 120,000 customers.

"Our partnership with Gaeltec is a key part of our network build programme and the 60 new jobs at Gaeltec are a direct result of the massive shift in scale in our rollout," said John Keaney, Siro's chief executive.