The one-line version: SIRO builds the line; 19 retailers sell it. It is 100% FTTH on ESB poles, in 154 towns, targeting about 770,000 premises, with retail speeds up to 5 Gb. New estates get OpenPort from mid-2026. There is no SIRO shop.
What SIRO actually is
SIRO is a wholesale fibre company: a 50/50 joint venture between ESB and Vodafone Group. ESB owns the electricity poles. SIRO hangs full fibre on them and sells access to retailers. Vodafone the retailer is one shop on that network — a privileged one, because the group co-owns it — not the network itself.
That split is why a “Vodafone fibre” order at one Eircode can be SIRO and at the next can be Open Eir. The availability checker names the wholesale product. Brand does not.
| Fact (August 2026) | The number |
|---|---|
| Ownership | ESB + Vodafone Group joint venture (wholesale) |
| Who you buy from | 19 retailers. Not SIRO. |
| Footprint | 154 towns; build target about 770,000 premises |
| Technology | 100% FTTH — fibre on electricity poles, no copper last mile |
| Retail speeds | 500 Mb up to 5 Gb, often symmetrical depending on the retailer |
| New builds | OpenPort — fibre into estates as they are built, from mid-2026 |
You cannot buy from SIRO
SIRO does not offer a household tariff. There is no “SIRO 1 Gb” checkout on siro.ie for consumers. You pick a retailer; they place a wholesale order; SIRO (or its contractors) does the drop and ONT; the retailer sends the router and takes the monthly payment.
Once the ONT is in, switching retailer is a ComReg switch on the same pole — you are not waiting on a second engineer to hang a second fibre. Compare intro, thereafter and contract fairness. Walk-through: how to switch broadband. The same wholesale-vs-retail rule applies to NBI in the countryside.
154 towns, 770,000 premises
SIRO’s published map is 154 towns across the State, with a build target of about 770,000 premises. Think regional centres and larger villages where the ESB overhead already exists — not every boreen, and not a substitute for the National Broadband Plan. If the house is in the rural intervention area, you want the NBI map, not SIRO’s.
A town on the list is not a blanket yes. Estates get passed in phases; some streets stay on Open Eir FTTC while the next one is on SIRO. Put the Eircode into SIRO’s checker, then into two retailers (they disagree more often than they should). Wider checklist: check broadband by Eircode.
100% FTTH on poles
SIRO’s pitch is engineering, not marketing language. It is fibre all the way to the home, hung on ESB poles rather than pulled through old telecom ducts. There is no copper tail from a cabinet. That is the opposite of Open Eir FTTC, where “fibre” still means a phone-style last stretch and a typical cap around 100 Mb.
Aerial build is why SIRO can look fast on a map of towns: the electricity network is already there. It is also why a long private drop can still need a survey. The ONT on the wall is SIRO’s; keep it if you change retailer. Faults go to the retailer first, then wholesale.
Up to 5 Gb — if the retailer sells it
Wholesale SIRO can support retail tiers from 500 Mb through 1 Gb and 2 Gb up to 5 Gb. Not every retailer puts 5 Gb on the menu. In our August 2026 dataset:
- Vodafone often sells 500 Mb and 1 Gb at the same €40 intro, advertised as symmetrical where SIRO actually reaches, with 2 Gb at €55.
- Sky lists 500 Mb, 1 Gb and 5 Gb — but the 500 and 1 Gb ads still show 100 Mb upload. The 5 Gb tier is the one that quotes 500 Mb up.
- Digiweb leads on a cheap SIRO gigabit intro (€37.95) and a 2 Gb plan.
If 500 Mb and 1 Gb cost the same, take the gig. We do not invent lab Mbps; after install, test on Ethernet. Slow Wi-Fi is a dead-zone problem, not proof the pole is copper.
OpenPort: new builds from mid-2026
OpenPort is SIRO’s product for new housing developments. Instead of waiting years for a retrofit, the fibre is designed into the estate as the houses go up. It started landing in new builds from mid-2026.
You still do not buy from SIRO. A retailer sells broadband on that OpenPort line once the premises is live. If you have keys and no date, treat it like any other “fibre is coming” gap: Three 5G home is the plug-in stopgap we keep recommending for new-builds waiting on OpenPort, with Imagine and Starlink as the other bridges. Switch the month the ONT can be booked — do not lock 24 months of wireless out of habit.
SIRO vs Open Eir
These are the two wholesale fibre networks that show up in Irish towns. They are not the same product, and Eir retail does not sell SIRO. Where both pass the house, you are choosing a network and a retailer.
| SIRO | Open Eir | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns it | ESB + Vodafone Group (wholesale JV) | Eir (wholesale + its own retail brand) |
| Technology | 100% FTTH on electricity poles | FTTH where upgraded; FTTC (copper last mile) still common |
| Where | 154 towns; ~770k premises target | Commercial footprint nationwide — the default wired network |
| Speeds | Retail up to 5 Gb; often symmetrical | FTTH up to 5 Gb; FTTC typically ~100 Mb down |
| Who sells it | 19 retailers — not SIRO, not Eir retail | Eir, Sky, Vodafone, Pure, Digiweb and others |
| New builds | OpenPort from mid-2026 | Open Eir still builds into many estates |
| The catch | Not rural NBI; not every street in a “SIRO town” | “Fibre” on a quote may still be FTTC copper to the door |
If the checker says SIRO, you usually want that over leftover FTTC. If it says Open Eir FTTH, you are comparing contracts on Eir’s glass — Sky and Pure often beat Eir retail on year-one and year-two. Full matchup: SIRO vs Open Eir. The four-network map is Open Eir vs SIRO vs NBI vs Virgin.
SIRO retailers
Nineteen retailers can sell SIRO. These are the ones we score, with August 2026 intros from our dataset. Same pole; different bill. Virgin Media is not on this list — it does not retail SIRO, and SIRO retailers cannot use Virgin’s cable.
| Retailer | SIRO plans we list | Intro / thereafter | Why pick them on SIRO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vodafone | 500 Mb full fibre · 12 or 24 months; 1 Gb full fibre · 12 or 24 months; 2 Gb full fibre | €40 → €55 (500 Mb and 1 Gb) €55 → €70 (2 Gb) | Our Best SIRO pick. Co-owns the network with ESB. Take 1 Gb when it is the same price as 500 Mb. Symmetrical upload on those fibre plans where SIRO reaches. |
| Sky | 500 Mb Ultrafast Plus · 12 months; 1 Gb Ultrafast Max · 12 months; 5 Gb Ultrafast Max · 12 months | €27.99 → €50 €40 → €60 / €55 → €70 | Often the cheapest 500 Mb intro in the State. 5 Gb exists. Upload on 500/1 Gb ads is 100 Mb — not Vodafone’s symmetrical pitch. Thereafter jumps; annual rise possible. |
| Digiweb | SIRO Gigabit · 12 months; SIRO 2 Gigabit · 12 months | €37.95 → €50 €59.95 → €70 | Regional-town specialist. Gigabit intro is the cheapest SIRO 1 Gb we list. Irish-owned; no TV bundle. |
| Pure Telecom | Pure Fibre 500 · 12 months; Pure Fibre 1000 · 12 months | €50 → €60 €70 → €80 | Irish independent; Pure Fibre 500/1000 are the symmetrical 500/500 and 1000/1000 labels. Often no built-in April hike. Thereafter +~€10, not a doubling. |
| Imagine | Fibre Starter 500 | €55 → €55 | Sells SIRO where they have access. Better known for rural wireless / 5G as a bridge. Price freeze on selected plans to Dec 2030 — confirm the tariff. |
Fourteen other retailers sit on the same wholesale list. If a local ISP quotes SIRO at the Eircode, it is still this pole — judge them on contract and support, not on invented megabits. National ranking: best broadband in Ireland.
SIRO, NBI and the rest
SIRO is town and estate FTTH on ESB poles. NBI is rural intervention FTTH — different map, different engineer, same “you don’t buy from the wholesaler” rule. Open Eir is the commercial incumbent. Virgin is its own cable. Check the Eircode before you fall in love with a brand.
