Welcome to
CONNECTED
COMMUNITIES
IRELAND’S NATIONAL NETWORK OF BROADBAND CONNECTION POINTS
Digitally enabling rural communities
Connected Communities - Bridging the Digital Divide in Rural Ireland
Connected Communities is an initiative of the Government of Ireland, serving as the national communications component of the Broadband Connection Points (BCP) program. It aims to connect around 300 centers and locations across rural Ireland, enabling them to access high-speed broadband services. The initiative's goal is to unlock the potential of communities throughout the country by providing exceptional broadband connectivity. This transformational initiative will revolutionize the way people live, work, learn, and engage in recreational activities across Ireland.
FAQs
Connected Communities is the national brand name for the Government of Ireland’s Broadband Connection Points (or BCPs) initiative. BCPs are publicly accessible locations in areas with poor broadband coverage including many of our offshore islands. These sites will make onsite use of high-speed broadband available to the public for a range of uses. The majority of sites have been provided with a temporary wireless broadband connection by NBI under the National Broadband Plan. Vodafone Ireland provide the onsite super-fast WiFi service. The locations of the BCPs have been selected by local authorities in consultation with local communities and site owners, supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. BCPs are typically community centres, sports clubs and other public spaces.
Each BCP will provide a minimum 150Mb service to users, with indoor and outdoor WiFi access. This will enable local people, visitors or tourists access to the internet for a variety of uses. At present, BCPs are used as remote work and study hubs, for the delivery of eHealth and in-person health services, for arts and culture activities, and for a range of skills training and educational courses. As the project matures, services will be broadened at BCPs to ensure the network continues to meet local needs in line with the circumstances of each site.
The National Broadband Plan is an ambitious project spanning 96% of the country’s land mass and the roll-out will take time, this is the first phase of that plan. The Broadband Connection Point or Connected Communities initiative was borne out of recognising the urgency to connect rural communities as quickly as possible to ensure businesses, community centres, students and others can connect to high-speed broadband for things such as e-learning and digital tourism.
Media Enquiries
For all media queries, please contact press.office@drcd.gov.ie
