Siro, the commercial broadband venture between ESB Networks and Vodafone, has signed up telecoms firm Digiweb as a retail partner.

Dundalk-based Digiweb plans to launch a number of fibre broadband packages for residential and business customers on Siro’s network.

The company's "Electric Broadband" services will go live in Dundalk, Letterkenny and Drogheda later this year, before it expands elsewhere via Siro's ongoing rollout.

Siro is among the final shortlist of three firms for the Government’s National Broadband Plan, which aims to build a high-speed broadband infrastructure.

The scheme was recently expanded to encompass 927,000 homes, more than a third of the State’s housing stock.

Investing €450m

Siro is investing €450 million in a fibre-to-the-building network, primarily aimed at 50 regional towns.

It recently upgraded Skibbereen's connectivity status, bringing it to the same level as leading international business hubs such as Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Commenting on the partnership with Digiweb, Sean Atkinson, chief executive of Siro, said: "Our partnership with Digiweb illustrates how Siro is driving competition in Ireland's broadband marketplace."

"We want to migrate Ireland from legacy copper based networks to 100 per cent fibre-optic networks, this will ensure that people across the country can avail of next generation services and drive the economy forward," he said.

Declan Campbell, managing director of Digiweb, said: "This is a different kind of internet and we are delighted to be offering our customers the choice.

“It will be great to be able to offer our customers Siro powered broadband packages of up to one gigabits per second, enabling us to deliver one of the most powerful broadband services available in Ireland,” he said.