Tullamore First Town in Country with Free Public Wi-Fi

23rd November 2016

Virgin Media boost local economy in Tullamore with investment in fibre broadband network & switch on first WiFi zone on O'Connor Square

Virgin Media Business, Ireland's fastest broadband provider, have today announced that it has switched on its first Free Public WiFi on  O'Connor Square, making Tullamore the first town to benefit from Virgin Media's investment in fibre broadband.

In what will be a major boost to the economy, Virgin Media Business has invested in building a fibre rich network for businesses in the region, which will deliver the best WiFi experience across Ireland's fastest broadband network, connecting 2,000 homes and businesses.

Niall Mulligan, President of Tullamore & District Chamber of Commerce stated,
“Tullamore & District Chamber of Commerce welcomes Virgin Media to the Tullamore business community. Quality broadband infrastructure and media services are critical to attracting businesses and talent, so we are delighted to note that the broadband download speeds of up to 400Mbps, which are now available in Tullamore, are among the very best in Ireland. Tullamore is also the first town in Ireland to benefit from free public Wi-Fi, which will help tourists and shoppers to find, evaluate, access and rate the town’s highest quality offerings. Virgin Media has recognised that Tullamore has the underlying infrastructure and zoning to double in size. We call on Minister Simon Coveney to take note of this and show similar foresight and confidence in Tullamore when drafting the National Planning Framework. At a time when Dublin’s housing market is in disarray and transport infrastructure working beyond capacity, the case for well-placed regional investment becomes a compelling one.”  

Virgin Media were this year named as Ireland's fastest broadband network by consumers through the independent network assessment firm Ookla, while Cartesian also named Virgin Media as having the best performing WiFi in Ireland.

Virgin Media's Business network offers the fastest widely-available speeds of up to 360Mbps for consumers and 400Mbps for businesses.  The company is also making significant investments in its network capacity to meet the fast growing usage of broadband by customers, which is increasing at a rate of 37% per annum.

Hundreds of Tullamore residents, businesses, students, shoppers and tourists will benefit from the improved connectivity as free public WiFi is made available on O'Connor Square.

Loughnan Hooper, PRO Tullamore & District Chamber of Commerce & CEO of Dotser, local web development company based in O'Connor Square, Tullamore, said, 'The decision by Virgin Media to select Tullamore to roll out it's fibre infrastructure is testament to the current and future growth of the town. As part of the Chamber's 3 year strategic plan, we had our sights on being able to offer free public wi-fi access to visitors and locals alike. Tullamore is now the first town in the country to be providing free wi-fi as part of Virgin Media's broadband roll out. It is hoped to increase the reach of the wi-fi service from O'Connor Square to other areas of the town with the support of local authority and businesses.'

Paul Farrell, Commercial Vice President at Virgin Media, said: "With online spending by Irish consumers set to almost double in value in the next five years*, there are opportunities for every  Irish SME and start-ups to capture their share of the fastest-growing sector in the economy, but they have to act fast. Virgin Media Business is continuing to expand Irelands fastest and biggest fibre broadband network. We are delighted that Tullamore is the first town to benefit from switching on free WiFi, giving consumers on O'Connor Square a taste of our superfast broadband service. This investment will give people in Tullamore the chance to connect at work, home and out and about through the Virgin network. We urge other local councils and landlords to join with us to ensure this expansion happens as quickly as possible."

Virgin Media Business officially switched on its WiFi zone on O'Connor Square at an event for local businesses in the Bridge House Hotel on Tuesday 22nd November.