National Broadband Ireland said today that 59,137 farms in its rollout area can now access high-speed fibre broadband, with 26,247 already connected .

National Broadband Ireland is the company delivering the Government’s National Broadband Plan.

The company recently said it had passed nearly 524,000 premises in its rollout of the National Broadband Plan. To date, almost 190,000 premises across the country have connected to its network.

As a wholesale network operator, NBI does not sell fibre broadband directly to end users, rather it enables services from a range of broadband providers. With over 50 broadband providers actively selling on NBI’s open-access network, rural communities now have access to the same level of competition and choice as those in urban areas.

NBI noted that the take-up rate for its broadband amongst farmers stands at 44%, higher than the national average of 36%, which it said shows the appetite that they have for high-speed internet connectivity.

A total of 65,000 farms will be able to connect to fibre broadband when the infrastructure rollout is completed at the end of the year, ending Ireland’s rural-urban digital divide.

David McCourt, Chairman of National Broadband Ireland, said that connecting rural Ireland was never simply about broadband.

“It was about creating opportunity, supporting economic growth, and ensuring that geography no longer determines access to education, healthcare, business opportunities or innovation,” Mr McCourt said.

“The fact that more than 26,000 farms are already connected to the NBI network is a powerful illustration of how transformational connectivity can be for families, farms and communities across the country,” he added.

TJ Malone, the chief executive of National Broadband Ireland, said that farmers and farm families are embracing fibre broadband faster than any other group, and that speaks volumes about how central digital tools have become to modern agriculture.

“From herd management apps, precision machinery, to running diversified farm businesses; high-speed broadband is unlocking opportunities that were unthinkable just a few years ago,” the CEO said.

“With the main NBP infrastructure rollout set for completion by the end of this year, we are in the final stages of delivering a future-proofed network that will serve generations of rural families and businesses,” he added.