SIRO has today (1 June) announced that it has upgraded its broadband network to enable 10 Gigabit fibre connectivity for businesses in Ireland.

The broadband operator has chosen Galway as the first city in Ireland to benefit from the upgrade. This is part of its wider €20m investment in the city. The upgrade means that businesses will be able to access connectivity up to ten times faster than before.

SIRO is currently rolling out a 100pc fibre broadband network across 154 towns and cities in Ireland. While Galway businesses can avail of the upgrade immediately, other locations will see it arrive over the coming months. The broadband operator aims to reach 770,000 premises by 2026.

SIRO CEO John Keaney addressed a gathering of business leaders in Galway this morning. “With 10GB connectivity, Irish enterprises can build and use the products and services of the future, today. Access to this level of bandwidth will give Galway a unique competitive advantage in a global marketplace,” he said.

The SIRO network is now available to more than 33,000 premises in Galway city. It covers areas such as Oranmore, Barna and key business parks such as Briarhill, Ballybane, Monivea Road, Terryland and Parkmore.

“Galway has long been a city which embraces technology, quickly leveraging innovation to drive economic growth and job creation. This has positioned Galway to successfully attract significant foreign direct investment and for its start-up businesses to compete globally,” said Keaney.

He added that “SIRO also has innovation in its DNA. As Ireland’s first 100pc fibre network, operating as a broadband wholesaler driving greater competition and choice, moving up a gear to roll-out multi-gigabit speeds up to 10 Gigabit for enterprise, just makes sense.

“Higher speeds, increased bandwidth and much lower latency meets a growing business demand. More importantly, for us it’s about developing and deploying world-class connectivity infrastructure to support enterprise needs for years to come.”

SIRO is a joint venture between ESB and Vodafone that was founded in 2015. The broadband operator is wholesale, partnering with 19 retailers across Ireland to offer broadband to homes and businesses across the country. SIRO’s broadband uses the ESB’s electricity infrastructure.

The 10GB upgrade will initially be limited to businesses and enterprises.

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