National Broadband Ireland : implementation and progress

ItHurtsWhenIP

Just checked mine and I am the same … "Build in progress" … but the dates have slipped by 6 months … I'm now scheduled for July 2025-December 2025.

Hollyford DA

Ardent

I have an NBI installer coming out to me this week. A few questions for those who have been down this road -

• Will they work with you to use ducting, if it exists, to being the service to the house?
• If so, I don't have a pull cable for one of the ducts (5m in length) - do they arrive with push rods, etc?
• I would prefer to place the router in a central spot in the house, which would require running the cable through the attic and through a tight spot that would probably require two people working in tandem. Will they help with this?
• What's the diameter of the fibre optic cable?

Thanks for your answers.

heavydawson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121990652#Comment_121990652

• Yes, they'll use existing ducting (They did for mine)
• Yes, they have access to push rods (They used them for mine)
• I had the same problem. I worked with the installer. He ran the fibre cable up into the small attic area, and I ran the cable myself in the attic area down into a plant room. Some installers are ok to go in the attic themselves, but I didn't want the installer to feel like he had to.
• Don't know the exact cable diameter, but the hole they drill into the house (if needed) is 10mm, so cable is less than that:
  https://nbi.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cable-Information-Sheet.pdf

ruffmut

My area went into preorder last week and I have preordered with my existing supplier. How long does it typically take to go from pre order to installation.

Ardent

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121991477#Comment_121991477

Thank you for that, really appreciate it!

Muahahaha

So 1 year in to my NBI connection with Vodafone Im soon out of contract and want to switch to Sky, which Bonkers said I could as did the Sky website when entering in my Eircode. But got off the phone to Sky just now who said they cannot connect it because NBI were supposed to do something to do with registration numbers but they never did, hence Sky cant connect. He said hes been working there 3 years and has come across this problem a fair bit.

Any ideas whats the story here? Sky are normally competitive enough but now seems like I cant get them over something the NBI didnt do or complete. Is there any recourse here into getting them to add Sky to my area or is it just tough luck? Seems very frustrating as Im not willing to pay Vodafone €60 a month and they wont give me anything less than that, have tried over two phone calls.

oscarBravo

Sounds like Sky making excuses rather than anything NBI have done wrong. Have you tried anyone else?

fman

There was a long running issue here flagged by others. The long story short version was it's impossible to switch an NBI connection to sky from another provider.

Obviously with the comment here it's still unresolved by sky. They can set people up on NBI initially but not switch anyone in.

dam099

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993809#Comment_121993809

From above Sky seem to be blaming NBI but as other providers can accept incoming switches does seem to more likely its a Sky issue.

shmeee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993037#Comment_121993037

My installer got the cable into my attic and down into centre of house to where I wanted it. He had no problem doing it. He left plenty of slack also on the cable if I need to move it in the future. He was on site for maybe 3 hours and wasn't rushing or taking shortcuts by any means. He had a pain of a job to be fair and it was bucketing rain while running the cable overhead from up on the main road through the field and then onto the house.

Some difference on 1gb fibre now compared to Three Mobile broadband, zero drops during the work day running Citrix. And streaming TV is flawless!

Muahahaha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993809#Comment_121993809

Thanks. I wonder what is preventing them doing so, especially given the infrastructure was paid for by the NBI and all it means for them is to post out a new modem for the customer to install. Seems bizarre they would do themselves out of new customers on some minor technicality that other broadband providers have over come

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993773#Comment_121993773

not yet, will give other companies a ring around tomorrow when I get time. iirc NBI told me at the time of installation that Id 3 companies available to me- Vodafone, Sky & Digiweb. Given Sky is now no go that leaves Digiweb who are more expensive (€550 a year) than Sky at €420. I might just end up going back to my 4G mobile BB for €140 a year from 48, I did okay on it before as the mast is close enough to my home.

oscarBravo

It's also possible that more providers can offer you service now. Stick your eircode in nbi.ie, hit "order now" and see who comes up.

The Continental Op

Got the usual NBI update email today. Can't remember what the last one said but they are now saying 2026 when iirc it was 2025 on the previous update. We've had that area surveyed nearly a year back and its still another 2 years.

Probably won't even bother now as Starlink has worked out well and I could easily end up to lazy to change.

ItHurtsWhenIP

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121998130#Comment_121998130

Yeah, I got the email today too and as I mentioned a couple of days ago (above), my install had slipped by 6 months (Jul-Dec 2025).

If I didn't have Starlink, I'd be seriously pissed off.

L1011

Got a special "island update" from them, giving July - September 2025

Original date was November 2022-January 2023 and then was pushed to the full years of 2025/6 only a few weeks before November 2022. Not one bit of surveying done so I don't trust this date band either

listermint

Mines in network build and they're out putting up cables along our road.

Jul 25 -26 starlinks grand. It's not fibre though it'll be gone the second the road is live.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121999471#Comment_121999471

Interestingly despite the current years in the future date I noticed on the County Councils planning permission map (looking as at war over PP's atm) that there are several Finalised permissions for a "Section 254 Licence for the erection or new overground fibre optic cables on existing timber poles" in our area. Applicant name is National Broadband Ireland.

shmeee

We had a power failure for a number of hours on Saturday and since then my 1GB Eir Fibre connection will drop randomly on WiFi and LAN. Would the power failure have damaged anything, ONT, Router etc? I've done troubleshooting the last 24 hours and various resets and still issue persists even when wired into router.

All lights apart from power light will go off on Eir router and Data light goes off on ONT.

I've contacted Eir and they're sending out a replacement router.

BeerFarts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000119#Comment_122000119

Definitely sounds like the router alright. Quick question - do you get the full speed 1Gb/100Mb on Eir NBI?

shmeee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030714#Comment_122030714

I got 900mbps download and the 100mbps upload when wired connection, work stations are wired in. Other connections then are 2.4GHZ mainly due to house size and range from 200mbps to 350mbps. The 1GB connection was €5 more a month so just went for it.

oasis fan

Maybe someone might be able to point me in the right direction if this is not the right thread for it?

For a new build house within a small town where FTTC is available but FTTH is currently not but is currently on the plan to be rolled, what are my best option to be able to be connected to FTTC? Will I have to wait until such time as they roll out FTTH in my area or will they connect me to FTTC until such time as that is ready? At the minute neither of these options are showing under my Eircode.

If in failing I can neither access FTTC or FTTH in the short term, is wirelss broadband really worth getting? Would a wireless internet package through 4g/5g be notably quicker than if I was to just hotspot off my phone?

My download speed test would only be 1-2 mbs when I do a speedtest from my phone so if the wireless internet was not significantly better it would be a complete waste of 5-600 a year?

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122048512#Comment_122048512

Starlink is your best option until you get a fixed line connection. €60 a month including equipment (or buy it and €50 a month) no contract, cancel anytime you like.

clohamon

Local elections are warming up, and Harry Barrett (Ind - Castlebar LEA) tells the Connaught Telegraph that he can't understand how the NBP works and is promising to do something about it.

Barrett continued, " I cannot understand how the village has been left in this position, unable to tap into high-speed broadband within a few meters of their homes. Good broadband is absolutely essential for homes and businesses and Belcarra's need for this is no different to needs elsewhere

"I will now make the strongest representation possible to the Department to get houses in the village connected so that families in Belcarra have the same connection speeds as those in Castlebar or elsewhere.

"It is beyond me that this issue has been left unresolved for so long."

I suspect he probably knows more than he's saying, but it makes a headline and that's all that matters.

clohamon

Department's NBP Program Director is moving on to CRU.

Held the show together 2016-2019 despite lunatics, saboteurs, and naysayers. Hopefully someone as capable takes over.