Sky partners with SIRO to deliver 1GB broadband speeds
Robyn Hamilton
Staff Writer

Open-access wholesale broadband provider SIRO has announced that it is partnering with Sky Ireland to deliver high-speed fibre services to the public in 2018

SIRO has been quietly delivering Ireland’s first 100% fibre-optic broadband network to 50 towns nationwide over the last couple of years - and this new partnership represents the latest investment by Sky in its infrastructure in Ireland as part of its strategy to ensure that its customers can avail of the highest broadband speeds across the country.

Sky - the fastest growing broadband provider in Ireland

Having established a broadband subscriber base of 180,000 customers since entering the Irish broadband market in 2013, Sky Ireland has added more net subscriptions during this period than any other broadband retailer, making it the fastest growing broadband provider in the country. The decision to offer services powered by SIRO supports Sky’s roadmap for increased on-demand content services, which all require high broadband bandwidth requirements.

Who is SIRO?

SIRO is a national telecoms infrastructure designed to transform regional Ireland by providing rural towns with lightning fast 100% fibre broadband. With fibre-to-the-home technology, SIRO delivers speed, reliability and instant access to homes and businesses across Ireland. With speeds of 1Gb per second, SIRO boasts some of the fastest broadband speeds in the country. Music to the ears of some rural broadband customers who have been waiting too long for decent broadband speed! 

SIRO, at the forefront of high-speed broadband

SIRO’s fibre technology is recognised as the gold standard for broadband connectivity internationally and is 100% fibre-optic. Using the existing ESB network, SIRO services are delivered by fibre-optic cables all the way to the home. Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) technology can deliver download speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second. SIRO’s Gigabit connectivity is three times faster than the best service available in Dublin (350 Mbps) and 10 times more powerful than the fastest average internet speed in Ireland.

Commenting on the new partnership, Sean Atkinson, SIRO CEO, said: “Consumer interest in on-demand content is skyrocketing, which means that households need more powerful broadband connectivity if they want to enjoy the future of entertainment. SIRO is building the only 100% fibre-optic network in Ireland, which means that people using our services are guaranteed the best broadband experience in the country as there is nothing faster than the speed of light. We’re very proud in this respect that Sky has chosen to partner with us to help fulfil its broadband ambitions in Ireland.”

JD Buckley, Managing Director, Sky Ireland, said: “This deal with SIRO reflects our continued commitment to investment in infrastructure in Ireland and will mean our customers will enjoy ultra-fast gigabit connectivity which will transform the way they use Sky and consume content. We want our customers to have the fastest available speeds to the widest possible footprint across Ireland and SIRO are an important strategic partner in helping us realise that goal.”

Where is SIRO already available?

The SIRO network now covers over 110,000 premises, with services now live or under construction in 25 towns across the country including Dundalk, Carrigaline, Sligo, Letterkenny, Tralee, Cavan, Wexford, Skibbereen, Drogheda, Mullingar, Portlaoise, Ennis, Castlebar, Westport, Limerick, Newbridge, Carlow, Swords, Balbriggan, Bray, Greystones, Athlone, Killarney, Shannon and Mallow.