Broadband and mobile phone coverage set to improve in rural areas under new plans
People in rural Ireland should expect to see an improvement in mobile phone and broadband coverage this year.
The taskforce set up to address coverage ahead of the rollout of the National Broadband Plan has laid out its plans for 2019.
The new national mobile phone coverage map is set to go live in the coming weeks, and ComReg have designed an interactive map where users will be able to punch in their eircode to learn which network has the best signal in their area.
Last year, 1,000 kilometres of cable was installed along the road network to bring fibre optic broadband to rural areas.
The Department of Rural and Community Development says this year it plans to push for free public wifi across the country.
The Minister of State for Natural Resources, Community Affairs & Digital Development Sean Canney is launching the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce Implementation Review 2018 today at the National Concert Hall.
"The Taskforce has identified new actions, adapted to the unexpected, probed, innovated and reimagined. They have worked hard, they have done good work and they have delivered," he told attendees.
"The achievements of the Taskforce demonstrate that cooperation is key to finding solutions to communications deficits and key to supporting Ireland’s full participation in the digital revolution.
Minister @SeanCanney went on to say that “2019 will be a great year for improvements to broadband and mobile phone coverage, and many of the developments will be driven by the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce" @merrionstreet @DeptRCD pic.twitter.com/g1ENYQNMWv
— Dept. Environment, Climate and Communications (@Dept_ECC) February 20, 2019
