Digital Connectivity Office: Making the State’s digital connectivity ambitions a reality
Acting Director of the Digital Connectivity Office (DCO) with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) Kevin O’Donoghue outlines the rationale informing the establishment of the Digital Connectivity Office, its role and remit, and progress against its objectives to date.
Establishment of Digital Connectivity Office
The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications plays a lead role in shaping the direction and pace of Ireland’s digital transformation and ensuring the delivery of world class communications to citizens and businesses across the State and internationally. The publication of Ireland’s first Digital Connectivity Strategy in December 2022 was a significant milestone in terms of setting out the parameters through which the Department will support the delivery of the Government’s objectives in this area.
Supporting the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy, Harnessing Digital: Digital Ireland Framework, the Digital Connectivity Strategy commits to ensuring all households and businesses in the State will be covered by a gigabit network no later than 2028 and that all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030. It also includes a commitment to provide digital connectivity to all schools and broadband connection points that was successfully fulfilled before the end of 2023.
Following publication of the Digital Connectivity Strategy, the Department established the Digital Connectivity Office in 2023 to oversee the delivery of Ireland’s digital connectivity targets including oversight of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) contract with National Broadband Ireland (NBI). The NBP is a key enabler to the achievement of the Digital Connectivity Strategy targets for gigabit broadband availability.
Role and remit
The strategic objective of the Digital Connectivity Office is to ensure quality and future-proofed connectivity for all premises and businesses in the State, regardless of location, through policy measures and a regulatory framework that encourages commercial investment and through government-led initiatives.
Its remit includes overseeing the delivery of fixed and mobile connectivity by the commercial sector, effective governance of the contract with National Broadband Ireland to deliver the National Broadband Plan Programme across the State Intervention Area, and effective collaboration on the development of options and implementation strategies to accelerate the delivery of gigabit broadband to all by 2028 and 5G coverage to populated areas by 2030.
Current and upcoming priorities
The Digital Connectivity Office encompasses several different workstreams that are currently focused on governance and oversight of the NBP contract with NBI, with a separate team focusing specifically on connectivity development issues, including implementation of the Gigabit Infrastructure Act.
“The ubiquitous availability of high-speed, reliable, and digital connectivity will… position Ireland at the forefront of European and global digital developments.” Kevin O’Donoghue, acting Director, Digital Connectivity Office, Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
The DCO is also responsible for bringing forward proposals from the recently transposed European Electronic Communications Code with regard to Universal Service Obligations for voice and broadband. These new regulations require the State to ensure that all citizens have access to adequate voice and broadband services at an affordable price. In addition, the DCO is carrying out a significant review of Ireland’s international interconnectivity capacity to ensure future policy and demand needs are met over the coming decades.
Other upcoming priorities will include effective liaison with the relevant parties responsible for copper switch-off and addressing the issue of urban connectivity blackspots.
Progress to date
Most of the digital connectivity across the State is being delivered through commercial investment by the telecommunications industry, complemented by the roll-out of fibre, across mainly rural areas, under the State-subsidised National Broadband Plan. Over the last three years, owing to significant investment by commercial operators and the State, there has been rapid expansion of gigabit capability in every county across Ireland.
As the largest infrastructure project since rural electrification, the NBP represents a major investment by the State in its digital infrastructure and future capabilities. It will ensure that high-speed broadband is available to all premises in the Intervention Area, including all the country’s islands, no later than 2027.
Where it is not economically viable for commercial operators, the NBP has stepped in and will deliver a high-speed broadband network to 96 per cent of Ireland’s land mass, covering 23 per cent of Ireland’s population living in the most rural and remote areas, which includes 69 per cent of farms. It is expected that over 600,000 premises, including new builds, will be passed during the lifetime of the Programme with the network offering a minimum download speed of 500Mbps from the outset, while also future-proofed to deliver up to 10Gbps speeds.
Tuesday 19 November 2024 will mark the five-year anniversary of the signing of the NBP contract with NBI. Progress to date in rolling out the NBP network has been strong and NBI is on track to deliver the contract on time and within budget. NBI is currently active in all 26 counties across the State, with over 315,000 Premises in the State Intervention Area now able to connect to the new NBP network and over 100,000 Premises already connected.
The European Commission’s State of the Digital Decade Report 2024, which was published in September 2024, notes that Ireland continues to perform strongly under several indicators related to digital infrastructure. It reports that 78.5 per cent of households are currently covered by Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) infrastructure, with an annual progress of 8.9 per cent, placing Ireland further above the EU average coverage of 64 per cent.
The ubiquitous availability of high-speed, reliable, and digital connectivity will support the delivery of Ireland’s economic and social ambitions and position Ireland at the forefront of European and global digital developments.
