Eir Broadband Review Ireland 2026
Eir owns Open Eir and reaches addresses cable never will. The 500 Mb intro is €34.99; thereafter is about €75.99, with a flat €4 April rise from 2027.
Eir review: key takeaways
- ✓Eir is Ireland’s largest fixed broadband retailer (ComReg Q1 2026: 28% of lines) because it owns Open Eir — the copper and fibre network most of the country still sits on.
- ✓The case for Eir is coverage: if anything wired exists at a remote Eircode, it is often Eir. Virgin, SIRO and NBI do not reach every house; Open Eir often does.
- ✓The 500 Mb plan is €34.99/month for 12 months, then typically about €75.99. That thereafter price is the bill that decides whether you stay or switch.
- ✓From April 2027 Eir has said broadband will rise by a flat €4 each April (no longer CPI-linked). A Contract Change Notification can open a penalty-free exit — see /broadband/april-price-rises.
- ✓“Fibre” on an Eir quote is not always fibre to the door. Open Eir FTTH is full fibre (up to 5 Gb where upgraded). Open Eir FTTC is still copper on the last stretch, typically around 100 Mb. Check which one the Eircode actually gets.
- checkIf anything wired exists at a remote Eircode, it is often Eir
- checkFull-fibre (FTTH) tiers up to 5 Gb in upgraded cabinets
- checkTV + Prime bundles if you want one bill
- check5G home as a stopgap
- closeThereafter around €76/month on mid-tier plans is the trap
- closeFlat €4 April rise from 2027 — budget it or switch on the notice
- closeFTTC “fibre” is still copper on the last stretch (~100 Mb)
- closeYou can often buy the same Open Eir line cheaper from Sky or Pure
How Eir scored
Six categories, scored from published prices, contract terms, coverage and technology — not invented lab Mbps.
Eir at a glance
Plans and prices (August 2026)
Introductory monthly prices. Thereafter is what the same plan typically costs after the deal — the number that decides whether you stay or switch.
| Plan | Intro / mo | Thereafter / mo | Contract | Download | Upload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 Mb · 12 months | €34.99 | €75.99 | 12 months | 500 Mb | 100 Mb |
| 1 Gb · 24 months | €39.99 | €75.99 | 24 months | 1000 Mb | 200 Mb |
| 5 Gb · 24 months | €49.99 | €79.99 | 24 months | 5000 Mb | 500 Mb |
Who it’s for
Addresses with no Virgin street cabinet, no SIRO poles and no NBI date yet — the houses where Open Eir is the only wired network. Eir is also the default if you already have an Eir line and just want one bill with TV. If Sky, Pure Telecom or Vodafone can sell you the same Open Eir FTTH socket, compare their intro and thereafter before you default to the incumbent.
Get it if
- Your Eircode has Open Eir and no Virgin, SIRO or NBI — Eir is often the wired option that actually exists
- You have confirmed Open Eir FTTH (not FTTC) and you want 1 Gb or 5 Gb on the incumbent
- You already pay Eir for mobile or TV and one bill is worth more to you than shopping the wholesale line
- You will diary the 12-month end date — or you will use the April Contract Change Notification to leave
Skip it if
- Sky, Pure Telecom or Vodafone can sell you the same Open Eir FTTH socket cheaper — they often can
- The quote is “fibre” but the technology is FTTC copper to the door (~100 Mb), and you are paying as if it were 500 Mb FTTH
- You have SIRO or NBI at the address — Eir does not retail those networks; look at Vodafone, Sky, Digiweb or Pure
- You want a plan without a built-in April hike — Pure Telecom and some Digiweb/Imagine tariffs are the ones to model
- You are on a Virgin-passed street and care about raw download — that is a different network, not Open Eir
Networks they sell
Open Eir FTTH. Fibre to the home on the network Eir owns. This is the real full-fibre product: advertised 500 Mb, 1 Gb and 5 Gb tiers, with the upload that FTTC cannot match. Where the cabinet has been upgraded, this is the line worth taking — from Eir or from another retailer on the same wholesale socket.
Open Eir FTTC. Fibre to the cabinet, copper from the green box to the door. Eir still sells it as broadband, and the word “fibre” on the quote can hide it. Typical last-stretch copper is around 100 Mb down, with weaker upload. If the Eircode is FTTC-only, do not pay a 500 Mb FTTH price for it — and do not confuse it with SIRO or NBI, which Eir does not retail.
5G home. A wireless stopgap on Eir’s mobile network, not a wired speed guarantee. Useful while you wait on an Open Eir FTTH upgrade or an NBI pole, or if you need internet this week. Evening cell congestion is real; treat advertised headline Mb as a ceiling, not a promise.
Our verdict
Eir’s 8.4 is a coverage score with a commercial asterisk. It owns Open Eir, it is still the largest retailer in the State, and it will take a wired order at Eircodes Virgin, SIRO and NBI have not reached. Full-fibre tiers go to 5 Gb where the upgrade has landed, TV and Prime sit on one bill, and 5G home exists as a stopgap. That is the case for staying — or for signing if nothing else is at the pole.
The case against is the bill after month twelve. €34.99 on 500 Mb becomes about €75.99; the 24-month 1 Gb intro of €39.99 heads for the same thereafter. From April 2027 the rise is a flat €4 a year, not CPI. You can often buy the same Open Eir FTTH line from Sky or Pure Telecom for less in year one and less in year two. The FTTC trap is the other one: if the engineer is hanging copper from the cabinet, you are not on the 500 Mb product the ad showed.
Get Eir when it is the only wired option, or when you have confirmed FTTH at the Eircode and the bundle actually saves you money. Otherwise check the Open Eir retailers and read the April notice before you roll. The hike, the Contract Change Notification and the penalty-free exit are spelled out at /broadband/april-price-rises.
We scored Eir as a retailer, not as the Open Eir wholesale network. Coverage, contract fairness and year-two cost weigh as heavily as the advertised megabits. Prices are introductory EUR as of August 2026; ComReg share is Q1 2026. We do not invent lab Mbps — until we instrument homes, technology (FTTH vs FTTC vs 5G) is the speed story, not a fake speed-test table.
Eir broadband: frequently asked questions
Is Eir fibre actually full fibre?+
Only if the address is on Open Eir FTTH — fibre to the home. Open Eir FTTC is fibre to the cabinet and copper to the door, typically around 100 Mb, and Eir still sells it. Always check which technology the Eircode qualifies for before you order a 500 Mb, 1 Gb or 5 Gb plan. We do not publish fake lab speeds; the technology at the house is the honest tell.
How much is Eir broadband after the introductory period?+
As of August 2026 the 500 Mb 12-month plan is €34.99/month, then typically about €75.99. The 1 Gb 24-month plan is €39.99, then about €75.99. The 5 Gb 24-month plan is €49.99, then about €79.99. Thereafter is the number that decides whether you stay.
Does Eir put broadband prices up every April?+
From April 2027 Eir has said broadband will rise by a flat €4 each April, no longer linked to CPI. In-contract customers should get a Contract Change Notification; that notice can open a penalty-free exit if you do not accept the change. Full walk-through: /broadband/april-price-rises.
Can I get the same Eir line cheaper from another provider?+
Often, yes — if the house is on Open Eir FTTH. Sky, Pure Telecom and Vodafone all retail Open Eir. Sky’s 500 Mb intro is regularly cheaper than Eir’s €34.99, and its thereafter is typically lower than Eir’s ~€75.99. You are comparing contracts on the same wholesale fibre, not a different cable in the ground.
Does Eir cover rural Ireland, NBI or SIRO?+
Eir’s strength is Open Eir’s footprint — the widest wired coverage in the State, which is why it holds about 28% of lines (ComReg Q1 2026). It does not sell SIRO or NBI. If the National Broadband Plan or SIRO has passed the house, compare Digiweb, Sky, Vodafone and Pure Telecom on those networks instead of assuming Eir is the rural answer.
Do I need a landline with Eir broadband?+
Not on full-fibre (FTTH) plans — Eir does not require a landline there. FTTC still uses the copper pair, which is a phone line in the old sense even if you never take a voice package. Check the order summary for the technology at your Eircode.
Is Eir 5G home as good as fibre?+
No. It is a stopgap: useful when you need internet this week, or while you wait on an FTTH upgrade. Speeds follow the mast and the evening cell, not a wired guarantee. If Open Eir FTTH, SIRO or NBI is live at the pole, take the fibre.
Who owns Eir, and why does that matter?+
Eir owns both the Open Eir wholesale network and the Eir retail brand. That is unique among the big Irish retailers: Sky, Vodafone and Pure buy wholesale access to Open Eir; Eir is the landlord. Ownership explains the coverage. It does not mean the retail contract is the cheapest way to buy that line.
