Aurora Network will deliver capacity to meet all current and future Broadband requirements for towns and cities on the corridor
Major Investment to Create Dark Fibre Loop Network
Aurora Telecom, part of Gas Networks Ireland, has begun works on the final portion of a second Dublin to Cork fibre optic link. The project is part of a €35m investment plan by Aurora to expand its dark fibre infrastructure in Ireland. The development will greatly increase Ireland’s digital capability and deliver high speed fibre connectivity for customers. Scheduled for completion by Q3 2019, the new section of network serving Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Kildare will open up new regional job creation opportunities from both Irish and International investments. When completed, Aurora will operate a fully resilient national ring network linking Dublin with the midlands, west, south and east, providing future proof capacity to meet long-term broadband requirements for the towns and cities along its route.
Aurora provides services to telecoms providers and major IT companies. It operates the most modern dark fibre infrastructure in Ireland and has been the partner of choice for providers establishing sub-sea transatlantic fibre connectivity to Ireland. Along with a national network, Aurora operates an extensive Metropolitan Area Network or MAN in the Dublin area.
The fibre network is critical infrastructure, which enables large-scale telecoms operators, such as mobile and telecoms companies and large data centres, to transmit vast amounts of data. Given that much of the network has been designed to sit alongside the national gas network, it is subject to regular screening to monitor for interference. This means that the Aurora network is the most secure in Ireland – a key consideration for users, where even a minute of downtime could result in significant losses.
The network’s proximity to the gas network also facilitates a secure energy supply, another key driver for data centre location. With grid connection proving increasingly challenging, many data centres are seeking connection to the gas network to allow on-site generation from natural gas and renewable gas. The data centre industry is estimated to be worth €7.18bn to the Irish economy since 2010, according to a report by Grant Thornton and IDA Ireland.¹
Denis O’Sullivan, Managing Director, Gas Networks Ireland:
“With this new development, Gas Networks Ireland and Aurora are ensuring that companies seeking resilient high capacity data networks can now choose locations not only in Dublin but throughout the country while retaining the same level of national and international connectivity."
“The completion of this additional Dublin to Cork link will be a major step forward in terms of Ireland’s connectivity. Not only will it create opportunity for businesses in those cities, but it will strengthen the resilience of the entirety of our dark fibre network. Aurora already facilitates the connectivity needs of some of the largest tech companies in the world, based in Ireland. This investment will further strengthen Ireland’s position as a technology hub.”
The infrastructure being created by Aurora supports not only Irish data centre expansion, but any business which uses the internet, by improving connectivity and increasing opportunities for competition in the Irish telecoms market.
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Further Information:
Gas Networks Ireland
Mary O’Mahony 021 4534545 / 086 8342277
PR Manager
Murray
Joe Heron 01 4980315 / 087 6909735
Jackie Phelan 01 4980300
More about Aurora Telecom
Aurora Telecom is Ireland's leading backhaul dark fibre service provider. We own and operate a carrier neutral, open access dark fibre network with an ultra-high fibre count. Our network is the most modern, carrier grade, backhaul dark fibre network in Ireland. It has been constructed using the latest fibre optic technology.
Aurora Telecom is a carrier and enterprise service provider. We supply to carriers and telecom operators (fixed / wireless / mobile), wholesale providers, corporate and public sector customers. Our customers receive bespoke, dedicated, un-metered and completely secure, high-speed fibre connectivity. Our network delivers superior performance and provides a reliable and secure base layer for carriers and enterprise to deliver their connectivity solutions.
Aurora Telecom owns and operates an extensive national backhaul fibre network. The network links Dublin to Galway via Athlone and Mullingar and to Cork City via Ennis, Shannon and Limerick. The national network also extends into Co. Mayo. We are continuing to invest in our state-of-the-art national fibre network. We are currently extending it from Cork to Dublin via Waterford and Carlow.
About Dark Fibre
Data is transported over optical fibre networks by passing light through the cables. If there is no data being transported, there is no light – this means that the fibre is ‘dark’. Dark Fibre is essentially optical fibre infrastructure that is not in use.
A client, for example a Data Centre or Broadband operator, will lease unused strands of ‘dark’ fibre optic cable to create their own privately-operated optical fibre network rather than just leasing bandwidth. The Dark Fibre network is separate from the main network and is controlled by the client rather than the network provider.
With Dark Fibre, the network will deliver high levels of performance, a highly secure network and superfast speeds.