ESB Telecoms, a leading wholesale telecommunications provider that operates more than 380 telecoms towers and over 1,500 km of national fibre, is marking its 25th year in operation.

The milestone was celebrated at an event in Dublin that brought together senior figures from the telecommunications and energy sectors to reflect on Ireland's evolving connectivity landscape and the infrastructure needed to support the country's expanding digital economy.

Established 25 years ago, ESB Telecoms provides the fibre and tower backbone used by Ireland's mobile phone and broadband providers. Its network connects every city and most urban areas nationwide, while also extending vital connectivity to rural and hard-to-reach communities.

This infrastructure also plays a key role in Ireland's increasingly digital electricity system. ESB Telecoms' fibre and tower networks underpin real-time monitoring of the national grid, enable new technologies and connect renewable generation across the country.

Over the past quarter-century, the network has progressed from supporting early mobile technologies to enabling 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) services that power today's data-driven economy. ESB Telecoms continues to invest as customer needs and data demands evolve.

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Commenting on the anniversary, Marguerite Sayers, Deputy CEO and Executive Director Strategy, Innovation and Transformation at ESB, said: "Ireland's energy and digital systems are becoming more closely connected. As we build a cleaner, more flexible electricity system, resilient digital infrastructure will be essential to how we integrate renewable generation, manage the electricity network and enable customers to better understand their energy use."

"ESB Telecoms' infrastructure supports real-time monitoring of the electricity network and connects renewable energy generation across the country. As we look ahead, continued investment in digital infrastructure will be important to supporting both Ireland's energy transition and a growing digital economy."

The event, '25 Years of Connecting Ireland', featured contributions from ESB Deputy CEO and Executive Director Strategy, Innovation and Transformation, Marguerite Sayers; ESB Telecoms Managing Director, John Regan; and senior leaders from some of Ireland's leading mobile and broadband operators. Discussions explored energy for the digital economy, Ireland's connectivity journey and future communications ecosystems.

ESB Telecoms' high-capacity fibre infrastructure also supports cloud connectivity and international networks. The company provides fibre infrastructure for Ireland's national quantum research programme, is the fibre consortium partner in the Ireland Quantum Communication Infrastructure project, and enables government initiatives such as the National Low Latency Platform.

Speaking at the event, John Regan, Managing Director of ESB Telecoms, said: "ESB Telecoms has evolved considerably over the past 25 years as the way Ireland connects has changed. Today, our infrastructure supports Ireland's mobile network and internet traffic, but as a wholesale provider much of our work happens behind the scenes, providing the fibre and tower infrastructure our customers rely on.

"Our focus for the next 25 years is on continuing to respond to our customers' changing needs. Data demands will grow and technologies will change, so we will continue to invest in the capacity, resilience and security of our network and work closely with customers as their requirements evolve."

As part of ESB Group, ESB Telecoms is committed to playing its part in delivering Net Zero by 2040, with its infrastructure supporting renewable generation and the increasing digitalisation of Ireland's energy system.