Three bidders have been shortlisted in the bidding process of the high speed broadband network PPP project under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) in Ireland. 

The Irish Department of Communications has selected Eir, E-net and Siro as the teams that will go on to the next stage of bidding for the public-private partnership (PPP) contract under a 25-year concession agreement. The total project investment is estimated between US$1.15 billion and US$1.7 billion.

E-Net consortium is formed by 3i Group, the multinational private equity and venture capital company based in London, a division of Berkshire Hathaway, an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, John Laing Group, the British developer and operator specialized in PPP projects, Granahan McCourt, the private investment firm focused on investments in the telecommunications and media industries and E-Net Corporation.

The other bidders are Eircom Limited (Eir)​, an Ireland's telecoms provider and Siro, the telecommunications joint venture between ESB and Vodafone.

As we reported in early April, Gigabit consortium backed by Infracapital, a private equity firm, and Imagine Communications Group, backed by Macquarie also expressed interest in the project, but the their bids fell in the short listing process. 

The selected bidder will design, finance, develop, construct, operate, maintain and exploit a wholesale Next Generation Access network and associated services within the NBP Intervention Area (IA), which currently covers over 750 000 premises. The IA is split into two geographic areas and a combined area as follows:

• Lot Area A: Southern Intervention Area
• Lot Area B: Northern Intervention Area
• Lot Area C: Combined Northern and Southern Intervention Area

Bidders can opt for the Lot Areas individually or for the entire IA.