Eir reaches significant milestone in broadband roll-out amid competition challenges
- Eir has achieved nearly 70% of its 1.9m FTTP roll-out goal in Ireland.
- The company dominates the FTTP market with over 66% market share, while Siro's share declined to 27%.
- These developments highlight Eir's strength in the broadband market, although it faces regulatory challenges.
In Ireland, as of the third quarter of 2024, Eir has made significant strides in its broadband service expansion, successfully completing nearly 70% of its goal to roll out 1.9 million fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections. The company, which stands as the largest broadband provider in the country, has now extended its FTTP services to over 1.3 million premises, effectively outpacing its competitors, particularly Siro, which has seen a decline in its market share. Market data from the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), the nation's communications watchdog, shows that Eir has captured more than 66% of the FTTP market, compared to Siro's reduced 27%. The reports signify a shifting landscape in the competitive broadband sector, where Eir's robust growth is coupled with Siro's setbacks, marking a distinct evolution in consumer preference toward FTTP connections. Furthermore, National Broadband Ireland (NBI) and Virgin Media also reported significant deployments, but neither has matched the progress made by Eir. As of this data, NBI succeeded in reaching over 300,000 premises, while Virgin Media surpassed 336,000 premises. Despite these figures, Eir holds the highest uptake rate at 37%, followed by NBI with nearly 33%, and Siro at over 31%. The overall increase in FTTP adoption has led to a noticeable decline in traditional broadband services, including copper and fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) offerings. This observed shift corresponds with a decrease in Eir's next-generation market share, which fell from 84% down to 78%. In contrast, Siro's market share saw an uptick to nearly 18%. ComReg's quarterly reports also highlighted Eir’s commanding revenue share of 39% in the communications sector, indicating the company's substantial influence. Nevertheless, Eir faced scrutiny and penalties in recent times, being fined €2.8 million in 2024 for insufficient access to its infrastructure records by other operators. This fine follows an earlier €3 million settlement in 2018 for preferential treatment against its retail division in infrastructure access and repairs, underlining the ongoing regulatory challenges the company faces in managing its competitive practices.