- Industry leaders gather in Dublin to discuss connectivity needed to support Ireland’s growing digital economy
The milestone was marked at an event in Dublin, which brought together leaders from across the telecommunications and energy sectors to reflect on how Ireland’s connectivity landscape has evolved, and discuss the infrastructure that will be needed in the years ahead to support the country’s growing digital economy.
Established 25 years ago, ESB Telecoms is a wholesale telecommunications provider whose fibre and tower infrastructure underpins Ireland’s mobile phone and broadband providers. Its network connects every city and most urban locations nationally, while also supporting connectivity in rural and harder-to-reach communities.
This infrastructure also has an important role in Ireland’s increasingly digital electricity system. ESB Telecoms fibre and tower networks provide the foundation for real-time monitoring of the national electricity grid, infrastructure that brings us new technologies and connects renewable energy generation across the country.
Over the past 25 years, the network has evolved from supporting early mobile technologies to enabling the 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies that underpin today’s data-driven economy. ESB Telecoms continues to invest in its infrastructure as customer requirements and data demands evolve.
Commenting on the 25-year milestone of ESB Telecoms, Marguerite Sayers, Deputy CEO and Executive Director Strategy, Innovation and Transformation at ESB, said: “Ireland’s energy and digital systems are becoming more closely connected. As we build a cleaner, more flexible electricity system, resilient digital infrastructure will be essential to how we integrate renewable generation, manage the electricity network and enable customers to better understand their energy use.
“ESB Telecoms’ infrastructure supports real-time monitoring of the electricity network and connects renewable energy generation across the country. As we look ahead, continued investment in digital infrastructure will be important to supporting both Ireland’s energy transition and a growing digital economy.”
The event, ‘25 Years of Connecting Ireland’, included contributions from ESB Deputy CEO and Executive Director Strategy, Innovation and Transformation, Marguerite Sayers; ESB Telecoms Managing Director, John Regan; and senior leaders from some of Ireland's top mobile and broadband operators. Discussions focused on energy for the digital economy, Ireland’s connectivity journey and future communications ecosystems.
ESB Telecoms’ high-capacity fibre infrastructure also supports cloud connectivity and international networks. The company provides fibre infrastructure for Ireland’s national quantum research programme and the fibre consortium partner in the Ireland Quantum Communication Infrastructure project and enables government initiatives such as the National Low Latency Platform.
Speaking at the event, John Regan, Managing Director of ESB Telecoms, said: “ESB Telecoms has evolved considerably over the past 25 years as the way Ireland connects has changed. Today, our infrastructure supports Ireland’s mobile network and internet traffic, but as a wholesale provider much of our work happens behind the scenes, providing the fibre and tower infrastructure our customers rely on.
“Our focus for the next 25 years is on continuing to respond to our customers' changing needs. Data demands will grow and technologies will change, so we will continue to invest in the capacity, resilience and security of our network and work closely with customers as their requirements evolve.”
As part of ESB Group, ESB Telecoms is committed to playing its part in delivering Net Zero by 2040, with its infrastructure supporting renewable generation and the increasing digitalisation of Ireland’s energy system.