Top 3 Fibre Broadband Deals in Ireland

What is fibre broadband?

Fibre broadband connections provide internet access to homes through a network of fibre-optic cables, which allow customers to achieve speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps in some cases. It is the fastest and most reliable type of broadband available in Ireland.

Within fibre broadband, there are a number of different types of fibre connection, depending on how a network is structured.

• Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband connections can deliver the fastest speeds - as much as 1,000 Mbps in certain areas - due to the fact that the fibre-optic cables run directly into your home. SIRO and Open eir deliver fibre-to-the-home broadband in Ireland, and each is currently expanding its network into new areas. Vodafone and Digiweb each sell broadband packages on SIRO’s network.
• Fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) broadband connections are made up of fibre-optic cables that run as far as a home’s local telephone exchange, from where data is delivered to your home through copper wires. These copper wires can’t deliver speeds as high as fibre-optic cables, so fibre-to-the-cabinet connections are usually slower than fibre-to-the-home connections. However, FTTC connections are still capable of delivering speeds of up to 360 Mbps, which is very fast. Virgin Media delivers speeds of 240 Mbps and 360 Mbps across its own fibre network, while eir, Pure Telecom, Sky and Vodafone deliver broadband on eir’s fibre network.

What is the best fibre optic broadband provider?

The best provider is subjective and depends on your preferences and your location. The cheapest fibre optic broadband is Vodafone Gigabit 1000 Mbps which has download speed up to 1Gb/s and costs €25 per month for the first 6 months and €55 per month thereafter. The fastest fibre optic broadband is Vodafone Gigabit 1000 Mbps which has download speed up to 1Gb/s and costs €25 per month for the first 6 months and €55 per month thereafter.

How fast is fibre broadband in Ireland?

The top 3 fastest fibre broadband deals in Ireland are:

• Sky Ireland Fibre Unlimited which has download speed up to 100Mb/s and costs €33 per month for the first 12 months and €55 per month thereafter.
• Digiweb Fibre Home Unlimited which has download speed up to 100Mb/s and costs €24.95 per month for the first 4 months, €42.95 per month for the next 8 months, and €49.95 per month thereafter.
• Pure Telecom Purely Broadband which has download speed up to 100Mb/s and costs €44 per month.

Can I get fibre optic broadband in my area?

Getting fibre broadband depends on a number of factors, the most important of which is where you live. Your available broadband deals are largely determined by your location, how far you are from your local exchange, the availability of cable broadband, telephone line broadband or satellite broadband. 

Using our broadband comparison tool  finder you can specify where you live so you are shown only the fibre broadband deals that are available to your home. By also selecting speed as your preference you will be shown the fastest fibre broadband deals available in your area.

When will fibre broadband be available in rural areas?

If you live in a rural area, your choice of broadband providers may be restricted, particularly if telephone line based services are limited. This is often due to a lack of infrastructure or a long distance from the local exchange. In that case, wireless or satellite broadband may be the best options available.

Regardless of who you choose are your telephone line broadband provider, the network is operated by openeir - the wholesale division of eir. The rural broadband network is constantly being improved with a network expansion planned by openeir to the benefit of rural broadband customers. 

Is fibre broadband really available in Ireland?

There are two types of fibre broadband, both of which offer improved download speeds over previous technologies. The first is fibre-to-the-cabinet, or FTTC, which delivers fibre-optic cables to the kerbside of your home and then uses copper cables to bring the signal into your home. This is the widely available type of Fibre broadband in Ireland at present and delivers speeds up to 360Mb/s to households. The second type of fibre broadband is fibre-to-the-home, or FTTH, which delivers a fibre optic cable directly into your home. This type of fibre broadband is not as common as FTTC but it delvers speeds up to 1,000Mb/s. The availability of FTTH is far less than FTTC as specialist installers are required to enter your home and fit special equipment. As of 2017 there are approximately 8,000 homes with FTTH broadband available (source: ComReg March 2017)