Pure Telecom to bring high-speed broadband to rural Ireland

Pure Telecom and BT have signed a multimillion euro deal that enable the company to bring high-speed broadband to rural areas using BT's infrastructure.

The deal will open Pure Telecom to 1.8 million potential customers through BT Ireland’s 4,300km multi-gigabit fibre network. It is understood some of these customers would fall under the remit of the current National Broadband Plan, but the company declined to specify exactly how many.

"This latest deal is of strategic importance to both Pure Telecom and BT Ireland and could grow to up to €20 million over the coming years," Pure Telecom chief executive Paul Connell said. "BT Ireland is a trusted provider in the Irish telecommunications sector and will help us to broaden our reach across the country and support an increasingly technology-driven population."

Earlier this year Pure Telecom’s research found 59 per cent of people used three or more internet connected devices each day. The deal with BT will allow Pure Telecom to target harder-to-reach rural premises with its services to support this trend, and will offer internet speeds of up to 1,000Mbps in eligible rural and urban areas.

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Fastest speeds

“Our daily lives are increasingly reliant on digital communications and Pure Telecom is committed to supporting that by bringing the latest telecommunications and broadband services to people, households and businesses across Ireland,” Mr Connell said. “Key to that is ensuring that not just urban locations benefit from the fastest broadband speeds. We want every community in the country to have access to high-speed internet and we work with a number of Ireland’s leading wholesale providers to help make that happen.”

BT Ireland's director of wholesale and strategy Peter Evans said the deal with Pure would be good news for business, consumers and the wider broadband market.

“BT has a unique role in the market in that we are the only access agnostic provider of wholesale broadband services,” he said. “We all share a common goal for every home and business in the country to enjoy the same choice and access to high-speed broadband regardless of location.”