An Irish communications group has announced a €100 million investment to facilitate high-speed broadband and said the move will create up to 200 jobs.

While the job creation will be welcome, many Irish firms in the construction and engineering sector will also be able to benefit from enhanced communications and so help build new business and protect existing contracts.

Imagine Communications Group said the upgrade of its wireless technology infrastructure for a 4G WiMax network would provide faster Internet speeds and better phone services at higher efficiency and quality levels than current DSL or mobile broadband offerings for "half the price" of existing services.

Imagine said it has chosen Motorola to supply its high-end WiMax equipment to bring the 4G service to homes and businesses in Ireland.


WiMax is backed by major corporations such as Intel, Google, Comcast, and Motorola, and the new technology is being deployed in over 145 countries by major telecoms companies.

The first phase of the Imagine WiMax service rollout - covering 250,000 homes in Dublin, Wexford, Sligo, Tralee and Athlone - will be completed by mid-November 2009, and Imagine said the network will be rolled to smaller towns and rural communities at a rate of 15 new WiMax areas per month.

At the announcement of the investment, this morning, the Taoiseach said the investment "ensures Ireland will have the necessary connectivity to successfully compete as a trading digital economy".

"WiMax addresses next-generation access and the digital divide for businesses and consumers and drives the smart economy to create technology and manufacturing jobs. Imagine itself will create 200 new hi-tech jobs as it rolls out WiMax," the Taoiseach said.

Speaking at the WiMax launch at Dublin’s Mansion House today, Sean Bolger, Imagine chief executive, said WiMax can be rolled out more cost-effectively than fibre and cable broadband and with far more performance than current 3G offering.

North of the border, the Stormont Executive has also this week recommitted itself to underwriting a major revamp of the rural broadband resource.

(BMcC)