Eir has announced further details of the 100,000 rural homes and businesses that it plans to roll out high-speed fibre broadband to over the next year.
The plan will see speeds of 1 gigabit per second becoming available to 200 communities across the country. This is part of Eir's plan to expand its fibre broadband network to 1.9 million premises by 2020.
The company said that 1.4 million homes and businesses can already access high speed broadband in Ireland and it remains on target to reach 1.7 million premises by this time next year.
Carolan Lennon, Managing Director Open Eir said that the company was the only provider with a "truly national plan" to connect rural communities across Ireland to high speed broadband.
"We already provide the fastest broadband speeds in the country and we are now extending those speeds beyond the town," Lennon said.
The company, which was previously known as Eircom, also announced details of its apprentice recruitment programme, which will offer two-year long places to 50 people.
Now in its second year, the programme is open to candidates who have passed their Leaving Certificate.
Selected candidates will start work from July and the training programme will run for two years.
