HQ Tralee is expected to be home to 50 more jobs by the end of the summer as they prepare to develop the building adjacent to the current facility in Abbey Street.
The news was announced this morning with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, today unveiling HQTralee as the first business hub to receive two years of free gigabit fibre broadband from Vodafone and SIRO as part of the companies’ national Gigabit Hub Initiative.
HQTralee is a business and innovation centre located in the heart of the town, which at present houses 18 local businesses, and was officially launched by the Minister at a special opening ceremony held at HQTralee today.
Currently supporting 50 jobs, HQTralee will see this number double to 100 by July 2017.
Continued below…
Co-founder of HQTralee, Ken Tobin added: “We feel that there’s no reason why people shouldn’t be able to enjoy the lifestyle of living in a town like Tralee, but being able to take advantage of the same level of broadband connectivity as Hong Kong or Tokyo. Now thanks to Vodafone and SIRO, this dream is a reality as Tralee residents don’t have to compromise and can enjoy the perfect work life balance. At HQTralee you can get 1 Gigabit broadband and still live within minutes of 10 beaches, the two highest mountains in Ireland, and Ireland’s top links golf course, and a tradition of culture, nightlife, food, arts, and sport – all within a one hour flight to Dublin and one-and-a-half-hour flight to London!”
Commenting at the launch, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor said: “It’s great to see the tangible effect that high speed broadband access can have on hubs such as HQTralee, where businesses can gain access to 1 Gigabit per second broadband and spur the dynamic and exciting entrepreneurship we see here today. The Government recognises the fundamental role that broadband can play as a critical enabler for business and jobs creation across Ireland and welcomes the excellent work being carried out by Vodafone and SIRO to support regional hubs and businesses across the country.”
Anne O’Leary, Chief Executive of Vodafone Ireland, added: “We are delighted to be in a position to support local businesses through vital hubs such as HQTralee. If this success is replicated across all six hubs, it has the potential to create up to 600 jobs across Ireland in 2017.”