Leathanbhanda
High speed broadband is a necessity for everyone and is an enabler of any modern functioning economy. We look forward to assisting in the rollout of the national broadband plan in County Mayo to help citizens, schools, communities & businesses in County Mayo to access modern connectivity.
National Broadband Plan
The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is a Government initiative to deliver high-speed broadband to every premises in the country. The plan aims to rollout a Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) network right across the country capable of delivering speeds upwards of 30mb download and 6mb upload.
On November 19, 2019, the Government signed a contract with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) to deliver the NBP network. This will see a €145 million investment in County Mayo providing high speed broadband to over 83,000 premises in the county.
How can I get High Speed Broadband?
Using your Eircode, check your address on the National Broadband Plan High Speed Broadband Map www.broadband.gov.ie
If you are in the AMBER area you will get high speed broadband under the State intervention phase of the National Broadband Plan. For updates and progress reports check www.broadband.gov.ie
If you in a LIGHT BLUE area check the fibrerollout.ie website to find out when high speed broadband will roll out in your area.
If you are in a BLUE area contact a Retail Service Provider in your area to place an order.
Local Authority Role
Broadband officers are based in local authorities around the country. The role of the broadband officer in Mayo is of vital importance as they provide a single point of contact within the county for engagement with telecommunications providers and to assist NBI in the efficient rollout of the NBP.
The implementation of Mayo County Council’s Digital Strategy will also drive awareness of the plan and ensure the county is ready to take full advantage of the service when it comes on-stream.
Broadband Projects in County Mayo
In addition to assisting in the roll out of the NBP, our Broadband Department are currently working on several projects. Please see below for a sample of these projects.
Wifi4EU
The Wifi4EU scheme is an initiative of the European Commission which will provide funding to local authorities for the development of Wi-Fi hotspots in public places such as main streets, public parks, museums, libraries and other public areas. It will provide free Wi-Fi access to residents and visitors throughout the EU in the main centers of community life.
Mayo County Council successfully obtained €60,000 in European funding. Matched funding will be provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development bringing the funding for Mayo on this project to €120,000. Nine towns/villages have been identified in county Mayo to receive this new service. These are:
- Belmullet
- Ballina
- Ballinrobe
- Castlebar
- Claremorris
- Crossmolina
- Newport
- Swinford
- Turlough
DigiWest
The Western Development Commission (WDC) are collaborating with four local authorities, Mayo, Donegal, Roscommon and Sligo County Councils, to establish a network of Rural Digital Working Hubs comprising the Western Region Rural Digital Working Hub Network - ‘DigiWest’. Funding for this project has been obtained as part of the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.
The aim of this hub network is to provide a resource to local entrepreneurs, workers and communities in providing workspace with high-speed telecommunications capacity. Each of the Local Authority partners have identified properties suitable for development as Rural Digital Working hubs. The County Mayo site has been identified as the former courthouse in Swinford. We will be responsible for delivery and ongoing management of the identified site.
Turas Siar Digital Archive
Mayo County Council was successful in an application for funding through the Department of Rural and Community Development’s ‘Digital Innovation Fund’, obtaining funding of €50,000 for the Turas Siar Digital Archive project.
The aim of this project is to digitise, catalogue and archive an extensive collection of Irish oral history and folklore. Visit https://archive-cartlann.turassiar.ie for more information.
Mayo Telecommunications Asset Register
There is ducting installed across various parts of the county in both urban and rural areas as part of planned works with no specific purpose other than it could be utilised at some stage in the future.
Mayo County Council was successful in an application for funding under the department’s Digital Innovation Programme to develop a methodology for establishing where ducting and other telecommunications infrastructure in County Mayo has been installed and to digitally record its location and information in a Geographical Information System.
This register will be made available to the winning bidder for the National Broadband Plan and other telecommunications providers. We received an Ireland eGovernment Local Government Award for this project at a ceremony in City Hall, Dublin, on September 11th, 2019.
More Information
Visit: www.broadband.gov.ie
Email: broadband@dccae.gov.ie or broadbandofficer@mayococo.ie