€35m for Cutting-Edge Digital Infrastructure Projects Across Ireland
- Published on: 5 December 2025
- Last updated on: 5 December 2025
The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, today welcomed the announcement of €35 million to deploy cutting-edge digital infrastructure projects in Ireland under the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
The Connecting Europe Facility is a key EU funding instrument which aims to promote growth, jobs and competitiveness through targeted infrastructure investment at European level.
The selected projects include the rollout of safe and resilient high-performance digital backbone networks, 5G large-scale pilots for transport corridors and Smart Communities.
Minister O’Donovan praised the Irish companies for securing European funding, noting their success reflects Ireland’s growing leadership in delivering innovative and high impact projects.
Speaking today, he said:
“I welcome the awarding of €35 million of CEF funding to these Irish digital infrastructure projects. These projects will strengthen our international links, support innovation, and ensure that communities and businesses across Ireland benefit from world-class digital infrastructure.”
The Irish projects receiving funding are:
- Emerald Motorway Corridor (Dundalk – Rosslare Harbour) – Vantage Towers Ireland
Awarded €3,539,820.50
“With this award for the Emerald Motorway corridor, we are further advancing Ireland’s digital transformation alongside our project partners Three Ireland and Wings.
Together, we are creating an infrastructure that will enable a high speed 5G corridor from the Northern Ireland border to Ireland’s European gateway at Rosslare Europort. As well as uninterrupted high speed data coverage, this corridor ensures that we will meet the country’s automotive and logistic industry’s future technology requirements.” - Brian McHugh, Managing Director, Vantage Towers (Ireland).
- 5G Scalable Hubs – Atlantic Technological University (ATU)
Awarded €12,281,625.00
“This initiative will be transformative for our students, particularly those in rural communities. Atlantic Technological University’s (ATU) virtual digital lab project has the potential to revolutionise the training of students, both on campus and through remote delivery to support apprenticeships, helping Ireland develop the skilled designers, engineers and trades needed to tackle our housing and infrastructure challenges. This project demonstrates ATU’s ability to attract international industry partners and lead major EU-funded initiatives with the potential for real impactful gains for our communities.” - Prof Graham Heaslip, Atlantic Technological University (ATU)
- Pisces subsea cable system Phase 3 project – McMahon Design and Management Limited Awarded €18,932,210.00
McMahon Design & Management Limited has been awarded €18,932,210 under the EU’s 4th CEF‑Digital call to support Phase 3 of the PISCES subsea cable system, advancing direct high‑capacity connectivity between Ireland and mainland Europe. The PISCES subsea cable system will provide direct connectivity between Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal. The PISCES subsea cable system consists of a main trunk connecting Sines in Portugal to Galway in Ireland, with a cable length of 2,131 km, and a branching unit to Bilbao in Spain with a cable length of 840 km, and a reserving branching unit to Saint-Hilaire-de-Rez in France.
The funding will support route development, engineering and preparatory works for the PISCES subsea cable, contributing to resilient trans‑European digital infrastructure.