The people of Gorey will soon be able to tap into free, public Wi-Fi with Virgin Media as part of its broadband expansion in the area.

While confusion continues to mount over the future of the National Broadband Plan, commercial efforts to bring broadband to more parts of the country remain ongoing.

One of the latest efforts comes from Virgin Media, which revealed it is in the process of connecting 5,000 homes to its broadband network by the end of 2017 in the town of Gorey.

But perhaps most intriguing is the fact that the telecoms company is to introduce free, public Wi-Fi for everyone in the town.

Virgin Media said work has already begun in communities including Ramsgate Village, Gorey Hill and Woodbury, amongst others, which will soon get fibre-to-the-home connectivity.

Paul Farrell, vice-president of commercial at Virgin Media, said of the news: “By expanding our network to thousands more homes and businesses, we are proving that there is no shortage of ambition and investment to get better broadband across Gorey and other parts of Wexford.

“We have been overwhelmed by the response from other local communities throughout Ireland and we’re thrilled to have arrived in Gorey.”

Meanwhile, Diarmuid Devereux, CEO of Gorey Chamber, added: “This is wonderful news for Gorey residents and businesses. This investment by Virgin Media is a massive, and welcome, boost to our communications infrastructure.

“We are in the midst of a remarkable transformation of Ireland’s digital landscape, and Virgin Media’s network investment programme will play an important role in ensuring our cities are fully equipped to meet the challenges of the digital age in which we live.”