900,000 Homes and Businesses Now Passed by eir’s High-Speed Fibre Network

More than 900,000 homes and businesses have now been passed by eir’s new fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network, further extending the availability of high-speed broadband connections across Ireland. The milestone comes as eir is accelerating its network roll-out following a landmark deal with InfraVia in January. The deal escalates the pace of rollout to an unprecedented 250,000 homes and businesses passed annually. On completion this network will serve 84% of homes and businesses in the country, meaning Ireland is on the way to becoming one of the most fibre connected countries in the world.

To assist in the build of Ireland’s largest fibre network the company, through its wholesale arm, open eir, is calling for the next generation of apprentices to join its apprenticeship programme. 40 apprenticeships are available. Successful applicants will benefit from a full college experience studying for a Higher Certificate in Engineering in Telecommunications and Data Networks [(Level 6)]. Following a two year training programme, which will include on the job and in-classroom learning, the new recruits will join the team building and maintaining open eir’s fibre network, which will reach all corners of Ireland, providing 1.9m homes and businesses across the county with access to future-proof FTTH technology.

350 open eir apprenticeships have already been completed, and those graduates have gone on to form an important part of a 1,000 person strong fibre build and maintenance team, based across Ireland. Applications are open to candidates who have completed the Leaving Certificate or equivalent exams and have a full driving licence. The programme will begin in March 2023 and is facilitated by and based in TU Dublin, Tallaght Campus. The structured programme will provide on-the-job learning, one-to-one coaching and formal classroom training, supported by an experienced technician. Applications are welcome from candidates from within and outside  Ireland, and successful candidates will be placed in the southwest, southeast and Dublin regions of Ireland.

Una Stafford, Managing Director of open eir Networks said “Passing 900,000 homes and businesses with our world class fibre network is an extraordinary milestone that will be transformative for our economy, education and for Ireland’s position as a global hub for innovation.

The open eir apprentice programme ensures we have the best talent in place to continue building and maintaining Ireland’s largest fibre network into the future. We are extremely proud of the scale and pace of this FTTH network build and of our technicians who make it possible. It’s a future-proofed network capable of delivering speeds of 10Gbps straight to the customer’s home or business, across all cities, every town and almost every village in the country.”

open eir Technician Isobelle McSweeney said “I am a graduate of eir’s apprentice programme, class of 2019. I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve done with open eir since joining,  keeping homes, schools, hospitals, businesses and our country connected every day. The role is very rewarding as we get to travel around the country meeting customers and seeing how important connectivity is in their lives. I decided to join the apprentice programme because my dad, Keith, also did the programme and still works for open eir. I loved hearing his stories from his work, and it really appealed to me. I’m delighted to work alongside my dad and my other incredible colleagues in open eir who’ve been a great support to me throughout my career.  I’d love to encourage other women to consider joining eir’s apprentice programme and begin their career as a technician - every day is different and brings its own challenges and rewards.”

The application process for the 2023 open eir Apprentice Programme is now open and will close at midnight on the 28th of October 2022. Following the successful completion of the two and a half year programme, top applicants will be offered full-time roles with open eir. Further information is available on eir’s careers page www.eir.ie/apprenticecareers/.