The agreement will enable Vodafone Ireland to use Virgin Media Ireland's fibre network to deliver fixed line broadband services to customers.
The Virgin Media network delivers broadband speeds of 1Gb/s through 1 million premises in Ireland. The ongoing €200 million network upgrade to full fibre over the next three years is designed to support speeds of up to 10Gb/s. Virgin Media has already upgraded more than 150,000 premises to fiber over the Virgin network.
With this new wholesale network access agreement between the two companies, Vodafone customers will now have more choice and access to Virgin Media's expanding fibre network.
Commenting on the agreement, Tony Hanway, CEO of Virgin Media Ireland, said: "We are delighted to offer network access opportunities to other operators for the first time and we welcome Vodafone as our first wholesale network partner. As we continue to expand our network nationwide, providing superfast fibre connectivity to over 240,000 homes by the end of 2022 and over one million homes by 2025. Our entry into the wholesale market will support more competition while improving service delivery to consumers, businesses and communities across Ireland."
Amanda Nelson, CEO of Vodafone Ireland, added: "Our new broadband partnership with Virgin Media means that Vodafone customers will be able to leverage their FTTP network as they continue to upgrade to fibre across the country. Having recently celebrated our 21st anniversary in Ireland, we look forward to supporting our customers and businesses across the country for a long time to come, ensuring balanced regional growth and a resilient and empowered economy. Partnerships like this one demonstrate our continued focus on our important network investment strategy as we look to continually upgrade and renew our capabilities in Ireland."
