SIRO, a joint venture between ESB and Vodafone to create fiber to the building (FTTB) networks across Ireland, and enet, which operates an open access network in the country, have signed an agreement that will make enet a SIRO aggregator. The agreement will enable enet's broadband retail service provider customers to access SIRO's FTTB infrastructure.
The SIRO fiber cable network currently passes more than 70,000 premises (see "Vodafone targets Ireland, Portugal for new gigabit FTTH"). It passes potential customers in in 11 Irish towns (Dundalk, Carrigaline, Sligo, Letterkenny, Tralee, Cavan, Wexford, Skibbereen, Drogheda, Mullingar, and Ennis) with further fiber deployments underway in five more (Castlebar, Westport, Portlaoise, Newbridge, and Carlow).
SIRO and enet had previously inked a deal that enables SIRO to use enet's fiber-optic network as part of this roll out. With this new agreement, enet will connect the SIRO network to additional national broadband and regional broadband retailers. enet will leverage an automated software platform it has developed for such purposes. The platform offers qualification, provisioning, billing, ticketing, and lifecycle management across both wholesale and retail services.
"Our partnership with enet highlights the industry demand for an alternative national telecoms infrastructure," asserted Sean Atkinson, SIRO CEO. "As we are rolling out a 100% fiber-optic network, we are not constrained by outdated copper technology, which means we can deliver the best broadband experience in Ireland. Together with enet and our other partners, we will reverse the digital divide in Ireland and future-proof the country's broadband needs for decades ahead."
"enet is pleased to announce this deal which complements our deep fiber network and enhances our reach to end customer premises," added enet CEO Conal Henry. "With SIRO providing the last mile fiber access, enet will integrate this fiber broadband service with the Metropolitan Area Networks as well as our own national fiber network to offer a full end to end offering to all retail service providers."
For related articles, visit the FTTx Topic Center.
For more information on FTTx technology and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.