Irish telecommunications company Eir has announced it's bringing its new WiFi 7 to the country, making it the first provider of the technology in Ireland, writes Olivia Fahey.

The main aim of the Wifi 7 is to remove the dead-zones for coverage within people's homes, and aims to make worrying about issues during work calls, gaming and streaming something of the past.

The demand on at-home broadband has been increasing as more and more people work from home (and continue their video game habits from lockdown), with Eir reporting almost a 40% increase on usage year-on-year.

Essentially, the WiFi 7 speeds are twice as fast as WiFi 6, and has the infrastructure to support up to 200 devices simultaneously.

At launch, the device will deliver 2Gb speeds, with 5Gb coming in June.

Along with the system, Eir is launching the Wide-Fi system which will ensure every room in the house, from the attic to the extension out the back, will have the same connectivity.

Each WiFi 7 system comes with the Wide-Fi and hits the market for a special launch price of €49.99 p/m and all customers who subscribe to this deal will be automatically upgraded to 5Gb, at no additional cost, when the service becomes available in June.

The company has also launched a new Android-powered Eir TV Box which integrates live channels with your favourite streaming and on-demand apps in one place, with prices starting at €14.99 p/m.

During February 25's launch event at Eir's Dublin headquarters, CEO Oliver Loomes said: “In 2024, Fibre to the Home traffic surged by nearly 40%, underscoring the need for superior connectivity. WiFi 7 represents a pivotal milestone in eir’s digital evolution.

“With a €1.7bn investment in infrastructure, eir has delivered fibre network access to almost 1.4 million homes and businesses.

“As Ireland’s first WiFi 7 home system, eir Wide-Fi sets a new standard for fast, reliable, and future-proof broadband.”

Susan Brady, Managing Director of Consumer and Small Business at Eir, added: “As the first, and only, provider to bring WiFi 7 to the country, we’re not just leading the way, we’re setting a new standard for home broadband.

“WiFi 7 delivers lightning-fast speeds, seamless multi-device support, and rock-solid reliability across the entire home - this is eir's longest range WiFi yet.

“It’s a game-changer in wireless technology, offering twice the speed of WiFi 6 with ultra-low latency and powerful tri-band technology, it delivers lightning-fast streaming, flawless gaming, and seamless remote working—all at the same time.”