Eir has made 5G data roaming available to customers travelling to 34 countries, including the UK, as travel demand continues to rise following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. eir 5g roaming

The former state-owned telecommunications provider said it had rolled out 5G roaming to countries across Europe, Asia, Canada and Middle East, with additional countries such as the US to be added later this year.

“Travel demand has increased dramatically in recent weeks and so I am pleased to announce the expansion of eir’s 5G roaming network to include the UK and other highly popular travel destinations within Europe and Asia,” said Oliver Loomes, Eir CEO.

“Our 5G customers who plan to travel this year will have access to the fastest and strongest technology available, ensuring they can stay in touch with family and friends while travelling the world.”

Eir’s 5G network now extends to 1,250 sites in 450 towns and cities nationwide, and all the former state-owned company’s mobile plans now have 5G availability. Ookla has certified Eir’s mobile network as Ireland’s Best Availability 4G and 5G network.

Eir 5G roaming has been rolled out to Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the UAE, and the UK.

Eir saw revenues rise 5% to €1.3bn and earnings increase 5% to €632m in 2021 as it attracted 76,000 bill pay customers. The company now has 1.2m mobile customers, including 891,000 on bill pay plans.

“As we look ahead, we continue our focus on delivering consistent, solid results, with further growth in our key customer bases, continued business streamlining and optimisation, strong cash generation, and important capital expenditure on our fibre and mobile networks to drive future growth,” Stephen Tighe, CFO of Eir, said in March.

Loomes, who replaced Carolan Lennon late last year, said Eir would invest in expanding its fixed and mobile network while continuing to provide services such as the cut-price GoMo mobile offering, Eir TV, and IT solutions provider Eir Evo in 2022.

“In my role as CEO, I am looking forward to building on past success and leading Eir through the next chapter of its transformation as we move towards an increasingly connected future,” he added.