Telecoms firm and Laois County council team up tackle broadband blackspot

A telecoms company says it has worked with Laois County Council to deliver new broadband infrastructure to Vicarstown, Co Laois that will transform connectivity for consumers and businesses in the area.

Cellnex claims the new infrastructure has enabled Three and Vodafone to launch improved services to customers in the area, following local community action during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A statement issued by the firm said the need for improved connectivity during the Covid-19 pandemic was highlighted by Laois County Council, due to work and school from home. Cellnex said it worked with the local authority to get a viable solution to the connectivity blackspot. 

This has resulted in Cellnex installing its first multi-operator street work solution in a rural setting. The company says multi-operator solutions are beneficial for rural areas, as they allow multiple mobile network operators to host services from a single piece of infrastructure. It adds that this cuts down on the proliferation of masts in rural areas, while future proofing services for the potential addition of new mobile network operators.

Cellnex says the new services will be a significant boost to local residents, sports clubs and businesses with Annanough GAA Club, Crean Engineering, Barrowline Cruisers and Barrow Bike Hire all to be found in the area.

The telecoms firm says the issues raised by the local authority became the catalyst for the launch of their Get Connected initiative aimed at addressing communities who suffer from poor mobile coverage, in Laois in May 2021.

It said Get Connected is seeking to empower local communities to achieve better connectivity, through requesting a review of their current services and the delivery of improved infrastructure. A statement added that Get Connected received strong community interest from multiple areas in Laois, with further services expected to go live in the county imminently.

Colin Cunningham is the Managing Director of Cellnex Ireland.

“We would like to thank Laois County Council for raising the issues that were  being experienced in Vicarstown due to poor connectivity. Without that type of community dialogue, rural communities all around Ireland will be denied vital connectivity, which has proven to be so important over the last 18 months. Well-connected rural areas have opportunities to enhance business, tourism and sporting activities, for the benefit of current and future generations,” he said.

Antoinette Brennan is Broadband Officer with Laois County Council.

“Laois County Council has seen over the last two years how important connectivity is to local economies, in allowing people to work and learn from places they would not have previously. Solutions such as what we now have in place in Vicarstown are vital for communities to grow and develop, and we look forward to seeing further enhancements of Laois’s connectivity in the near future,” she said.

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Cellnex says it launched in 2015 with the acquisition of 300 sites from Irish state forestry company Coillte, and through further acquisitions and investment now has as portfolio of over 1,800 sites. Cellnex says it specialises in maximising the efficient use of tower infrastructure through hosting the equipment of multiple operators on its sites, thereby reducing costs for users and reducing the proliferation of unnecessary towers.