Virgin Media Ireland is the largest digital cable television provider within the country and also offers broadband services.

According to Virgin Media, its 5 Gbps fibre service will transform broadband capabilities for homes and businesses, enabling seamless ultra-fast streaming, lag-free gaming, and instant access to cloud services.

Paul Higgins, Virgin Media’s Vice President of Consumer said Virgin Media is responding to consumer trends, increasing data consumption and what customers have told it in terms of their broadband services.

"We know data consumption is growing 11% annually," Higgins said.

"This increase is driven by the acceleration of the connected consumer with Smart TV adoption increasing by 24% over the last four years, podcast streaming up by 38% and live streaming of sports up by 51%, all driven by the number of connected devices in our homes continuing to rise year-on-year.

"With this rapid increase of in-home consumption our homes have evolved into our offices, our cinemas, our gyms and our centres of entertainment.

"This launch helps all our Virgin Media customers continue to enjoy Ireland’s fastest broadband."

According to Virgin Media, the new 5 Gbps service will provide a much needed boost to Irish businesses.

"The launch of Ireland’s first 5 Gbps fibre broadband service will bolster national competitiveness in an increasingly digital world," Virgin Media says.

"From rural enterprises to urban tech hubs, businesses across every sector—from fintech and pharmaceuticals to e-commerce and AI-driven industries—will gain a further competitive edge."