Glenveagh to pre-install broadband for new homes

Glenveagh Properties CEO Stephen Garvey

Homebuilder Glenveagh Properties said it will start installing fibre optic broadband as standard in new homes during their construction.

Glenveagh has teamed up with wholesale broadband provider SIRO.

They aim to ensure that new home owners have broadband infrastructure in place in their new home from day one and so will avoid the lengthy delays which typically face new home owners trying to access broadband services.  

The company will begin installing broadband infrastructure on greenfield sites from the start of April. 

Glenveagh said it is the first builder in Ireland to treat broadband as a standard utility service like electricity and water and there are no additional charges for homeowners for the installation. 

A recent survey of first time buyers undertaken by Glenveagh found that 61% of respondents identified overall broadband speed as "the most important technology" to them.

Broadband dependent devices also ranked highly for new home buyers with 82% of respondents wanting to have Smart TV, 41% wanting smart thermostats and over 30% wanting smart devices such as virtual assistants, smart doorbells with cameras and smart lights. 

SIRO offers 100% fibre-optic cable broadband which is faster and more reliable than traditional copper wire ADSL broadband.

It builds its fibre-optic network on the existing ESB network, granting widespread access across the country.

Roger Brown, Services Director with Glenveagh Properties, said that broadband is now as much of a key utility for homebuyers as electricity or water and it is a key enabler for working from home so we believe its past time that we treat it as a utility the same as we treat electricity, gas and water. 

Ronan Whelan, Chief Commercial Officer at SIRO said that high quality and reliable fibre broadband is an essential part of how we now live and work. 

"Covid-19 has further underlined its importance.  At SIRO, we are committed to bringing fibre broadband to communities across Ireland. Fully connected homes are central to connected communities and should be the standard for all new homes," he added.