Do this before you fall for an ad. Sky, Eir and Virgin all advertise “fibre” nationwide. Availability is always by Eircode. A Dublin estate, a Cork suburb and a Mayo farm are three different shopping lists.
Why the Eircode comes first
In Ireland you mostly buy from a retailer (Sky, Vodafone, Pure Telecom, Digiweb, Eir) riding a wholesale network (Open Eir, SIRO, NBI). Virgin Media is the exception: it owns the cable in the street and will not serve an address it never built. That is why the same 500 Mb “fibre” can be €28 from one brand and €50 from another — and why a “no” from Virgin is not a “no” from fibre.
The job of the checkers is to name the network at the premises. Only then does our best broadband ranking mean anything. Full background: Open Eir vs SIRO vs NBI vs Virgin.
How to check (in this order)
- ComReg Broadband Checker. Enter the Eircode on ComReg’sBroadband Checker. You get the four fixed networks that matter — NBI, Open Eir, SIRO, Virgin Media — plus technology (Fibre, Part Fibre, Cable, Copper), status (available or planned), indicative speeds, and a list of retailers who may sell that network. It is independent. It is also updated quarterly from operator filings, so it can lag a cabinet that went live last month.
- NBI map (rural and anything amber on the state map). TheNBI network maptells you whether the premises is inside the National Broadband Plan intervention area, and the anticipated connection window. “Inside the area” is not the same as orderable this week. The Department’sHigh Speed Broadband Map(amber = NBI intervention, blue = commercial) is the overlay.
- SIRO address checker.siro.ie/search-your-addressconfirms whether ESB-pole full fibre is live or coming at that door, and which SIRO retailers can take an order. Towns and larger villages, not most of rural Ireland.
- Virgin Media. Virgin does not ride Open Eir. If you are in a city or suburban estate, checkvirginmedia.ie/broadbandwith the Eircode. A pass here is often the fastest advertised download on the street. A fail here is normal outside Virgin’s own footprint — keep going.
- Open Eir broadband checker.Open Eir’s checker(also mirrored on the public eircode tool) is how you separate full fibre (FTTH / FTTP) from Part Fibre (FTTC — copper on the last stretch). Eir retail, Sky, Vodafone, Pure Telecom and Digiweb all sell this wholesale network. The checker is about the line, not the brand.
- Retailer sites last — to order, not to discover. Once you know the network, run the same Eircode on Sky, Vodafone, Pure, Digiweb, Eir, Imagine or Three. Their tools can be more current than ComReg’s quarter, and they are the only place that shows the live intro price. Do not start here: a retailer will only show what it sells.
What each checker actually shows
Use more than one. No single tool is complete, and none of them pick the cheapest contract for you.
| Checker | What it shows | What it hides |
|---|---|---|
| ComReg Broadband Checker | Open Eir, SIRO, NBI, Virgin at the Eircode; Fibre / Part Fibre / Cable / Copper; Available vs Planned; peak or max indicative Mb; retailer list | 5G home, fixed wireless, satellite. Live prices. Data can be a quarter behind the pole |
| NBI map (nbi.ie/map) | Intervention area yes/no; rollout / anticipated connection window; premises-passed progress | Who to buy from (you never buy from NBI). Open Eir / SIRO / Virgin. Exact install week |
| Gov.ie High Speed Broadband Map | Amber (NBI intervention) vs blue (commercial operators) | Which commercial operator, technology, or retailer. Not an order tool |
| SIRO address checker | SIRO live / coming at the premises; which SIRO retailers can take the order | Open Eir, NBI, Virgin. Contract prices (those sit with the retailer) |
| Virgin Media Eircode lookup | Whether Virgin’s own cable or fibre passes the door, and the plans Virgin will sell | Every other network. If Virgin is a no, fibre may still be a yes |
| Open Eir fibre checker | Open Eir FTTH vs FTTC / copper at the premises; wholesale availability | SIRO, NBI, Virgin. Which retailer is cheapest on that socket |
| Sky / Vodafone / Pure / Digiweb / Eir / Imagine / Three | Whether that brand will take an order, the technology it will sell you, and the live intro | Networks they do not retail. Thereafter and April-rise small print unless you open the one-pager |
ComReg Compare (the price tool) is a different product. Use it after you know the network, not instead of the Broadband Checker.
What “Passed” vs “Planned” means
This is the status line people misread — and the one that decides whether you should sign this month or wait.
| Status | In practice | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
| Available — Passed | The network has built past the premises. You can typically place an order with a retailer. You are not connected until the drop / install is done | Shop retailers on that network now. Passed is a shopping list, not a working router |
| Available — Active / In-situ | A service is already on the line (or copper/cable is already in). ComReg groups these with Passed as “Available” | You can switch under ComReg rules; the new retailer usually manages the move |
| Planned | On the rollout. Not orderable as live fibre/cable today. Dates are indicative and they slip | Do not pay an FTTH price. Take a rolling stopgap if you need internet, or stay on current copper until the status flips to Passed |
Passed is not connected. On NBI especially, “premises passed” means the fibre is in the area. You still pick a retailer, wait for an appointment, and get a drop to the house. Treat a Passed NBI map as “start comparing Digiweb, Sky, Vodafone and Pure”, not as “I’m on gigabit tonight”.
Planned is also not a promise. NBI’s own map says anticipated dates change. A 24-month FTTC or 5G contract signed because fibre is “coming in the autumn” is how people miss the pole.
On ComReg’s labels, Fibre means FTTP (fibre to the premises). Part Fibre is EVDSL/CVDSL — FTTC, copper on the last stretch, typically around 100 Mb. Cable is Virgin’s HFC. Copper is old ADSL. If the ad says fibre and the checker says Part Fibre, that is the trap — FTTH vs FTTC vs cable.
Then compare retailers on that network
Once the checker has named the line, stop comparing brands in the abstract. You are shopping contracts on one physical network — intro vs thereafter, April rises, TV you actually watch. Same poles, different bills.
| If the Eircode is… | Who can sell it | Who cannot |
|---|---|---|
| Open Eir FTTH (Fibre) | Sky, Vodafone, Pure Telecom, Digiweb, Eir | Virgin (own network). NBI/SIRO-only specialists for this socket |
| Open Eir FTTC (Part Fibre) | Eir, Sky, Vodafone, Pure Telecom — same retailers, copper last mile | Anyone promising 500 Mb FTTH on this line. Do not pay a gigabit price for ~100 Mb |
| SIRO | Vodafone (co-owner), Sky, Pure Telecom, Digiweb, Imagine | Eir (does not retail SIRO). Virgin (own network) |
| NBI (Passed) | Digiweb, Sky, Vodafone, Pure Telecom, Imagine. You never buy from NBI | Eir, Virgin. Starlink as a forever plan once the drop is live |
| Virgin cable / fibre | Virgin Media only | Sky, Eir, Vodafone et al on this street cabinet. Compare wholesale fibre only if Open Eir or SIRO also passes |
As of August 2026, Sky is regularly the cheapest 12-month 500 Mb intro we see on Open Eir, SIRO and NBI; Vodafone is the SIRO pick when 500 Mb and 1 Gb cost the same; Pure Telecom is the fairest contract among the independents. None of that overrides the Eircode. Read the reviews, then model year two — not the intro tile. How to move: how to switch broadband.
If nothing shows — or it is all Planned
Empty checkers, or Planned with a date measured in seasons, is when 5G, fixed wireless and satellite are honest products rather than a worse fibre.
- Three 5G home — plug-in router, no engineer, speeds follow the mast. Best when you need internet this week.
- Imagine — rural wireless and 5G, with a price-freeze story on selected plans; also sells SIRO/NBI where they have access.
- Starlink — rolling monthly if there is no mast and you can see the sky. Cancel when NBI’s engineer is booked.
Recheck ComReg and the NBI map when the date approaches. A stopgap that outlives a Passed pole is how rural households keep paying satellite prices for a fibre that is already on the road. Rural options in one place: best rural broadband in Ireland.
