Rural Irish counties are outperforming major urban centers in the rollout of high-speed gigabit fibre broadband, according to the latest figures released by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).

In its quarterly electronic communications market report, ComReg revealed that Westmeath and Longford lead the nation with 96% gigabit broadband coverage. Overall, fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology is now available at 87% of all premises across Ireland, while broader gigabit broadband availability has reached 92% nationally.

In contrast, urban areas are trailing behind rural regions in high-speed fibre infrastructure deployment. Dublin recorded the lowest level of FTTP connectivity nationwide at 80%, while major urban hubs including Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford also registered lower coverage rates than rural counties such as Kerry, Roscommon, Cavan, Tipperary, and Offaly.

The findings highlight a significant shift in Ireland's telecommunications landscape, driven in part by state-backed infrastructure investments like the National Broadband Plan. The initiative has targeted more than 550,000 rural homes, farms, schools, and businesses with direct fibre connections.

While rural access has expanded rapidly, some urban local representatives in Dublin have raised concerns over specific residential estates and urban streets being omitted from high-speed upgrades. Despite these localized gaps, nationwide data usage continues to surge, with average residential broadband consumption reaching 576 gigabytes per month.