Access to reliable, high-speed fibre broadband is no longer a luxury, it’s essential for modern life, work, education, and business. The National Broadband Plan (NBP), which is an initiative by the Irish government to deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland, is delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI). NBI is transforming rural Ireland by bringing fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband to homes, farms, and businesses across rural Ireland to the previously underserved.
Here’s what you need to know, the latest progress, what’s changed, and how you can benefit with Aptus as a trusted NBI Partner.
How Much Progress Has Been Made
• As of September 2025, NBI has passed (made fibre available to) over 400,000 premises in rural and underserved areas.
• More than 143,000+ premises are now connected and using the fibre broadband network.
• The Intervention Area (all premises targeted for inclusion) now includes about 564,000 premises, an increase from 537,000 when the project started.
Currently, the average take-up for Fibre Broadband on the NBI FTTH infrastructure is approx. 35%, climbing to nearly 60% in areas where fibre has been live longer.
What You Get: Fibre Broadband Under the NBP
• Full Fibre Broadband (FTTH) to your premises, which offers speeds significantly greater that traditional broadband technology (DSL, VDSL, Mobile, Wireless Satalite)
• Minimum download speeds of 500 Mbps, with future offerings scaling up to 5 Gbps or more in selected areas.
• Fibre network built with future demands in mind (streaming, remote work, smart agriculture, IoT).
• Available from Aptus and other Retail Service Providers (RSPs) on the NBI network giving you choice in bundles, pricing, and features.
What’s New & What’s Coming Soon
The National
Counties like Laois, Offaly, Longford, and Westmeath are progressing well; many premises are already passed, and the region is expected to reach near completion by mid-2026.
- Over 45,000 farms are now able to access high-speed fibre broadband, with adoption rates among farms even higher than the national average.
- NBI has launched ultra-fast 5 Gbps fibre services, bringing cutting-edge speeds to rural homes and businesses.
How to Check If You Qualify & Get Connected
Check your Eircode on the NBI Coverage Map, or directly on the Aptus Coverage Checker to see if your premises is in the NBP Intervention Area and whether it’s fibre-ready.
If your premises is passed, you can order fibre broadband with Aptus, one of the trusted providers on the NBI network.
If not yet passed, you can register for updates with NBI and also register with Aptus to receive notifications when rollout reaches your area.
Why Fibre Broadband
- It delivers faster, more consistent, more reliable internet connectivity, vital for remote working, online learning, smart farming, health, and entertainment.
- It helps reduce rural/urban digital disparity, giving rural areas access to high speed fibre broadband to match (and sometimes surpass) what is available in urban areas.
- Boosts local economies, broadens public services, supports schools and community facilities.
- Futureproof: designed to support next generation broadband speeds and ever increasing data demands.
Where the Rollout Stands & What You Should Know
- Many premises (homes, businesses) are now passed but not yet connected. Connection depends on you ordering service from one of NBI’s partners, Aptus as one of NBI’s trusted partners, can help you get set up quickly with your Fibre Broadband connection, once your premises is ready (passed by NBI).
- Some NBI deployment areas still remain in survey/design or construction phases, as the project is rolled out across the country, so it’s worth regularly checking your status on both the NBI site and the Aptus Coverage Checker.
- Rollout is expected to be completed in large parts by 2026, with counties in the Midlands close to full fibre coverage.
- Uptake continues to grow as awareness spreads, the sooner you connect with Aptus, the sooner you benefit.
Conclusion
The National Broadband Plan is transforming connectivity in rural Ireland, with NBI’s fibre broadband rollout making strong progress. If you live in a rural area, there’s a good chance fibre broadband is already available or will be soon, to check, all you will need is your Eircode.
Check if NBI Fibre is available in your area using the Aptus Coverage Checker.
You can find more information on the National Broadband Plan on the NBI website
The Irish government have created an interactive map detailing the NBI route, you can access this map here. This map is updated on a quarterly basis.
Check your coverage on our website and discover the Aptus Fibre difference.
