eircom Announces fibre roll out

lucernarian · 26-07-2011 10:19pm #1

I was looking around on a website linked to by Sponge Bob this evening, (www.nextgenerationnetwork.ie) where there was a section dealing with Next Generation Access. Looking through some of the downloads, I noticed that eircom are in the process of deploying a GPON network around Wexford town and Sandyford (Co. Dublin) and this will be launched by the end of September according to this document: http://www.nextgenerationnetwork.ie/downloads/filg_meeting_9/programme_review_filg9.pdf

Any word in the area on linesmen in the field working on this fibre network?

This trial has been mentioned before but there were little updates since. A Wexford Echo article has some additional information on the network build there.

10belowzero · 28-07-2011 7:59am

eircom Announces Over €100M Investment in Phase 1 of Planned Fibre Rollout
Television to Launch in 2012

eircom Group today announced Phase 1 of a plan to significantly upgrade Ireland’s telecommunications infrastructure by rolling out fibre based access technologies delivering superfast broadband to customers. Separately, the company also announced it will launch television services next year.

The company intends to serve 100,000 premises by summer 2012 in Phase 1 of a planned multi-year rollout that envisages fibre based services to one million homes and businesses in Ireland. This will involve an initial investment of over €100 million, upgrading the existing copper access network with fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) and fibre to the home (FTTH) technologies.

These developments build on the company’s plans to restructure its debt and its recent Wholesale Reform announcement. The upgrade will provide Ireland with a range of faster broadband speeds and a platform to allow wholesale customers and ICT providers to introduce exciting new services and applications via the eircom network. Specific speeds will vary according to the technology used. FTTC will support speeds of up to 40Mbps and beyond, while FTTH supports speeds of up to 150Mbps.

eircom to Launch IPTV Services from Mid 2012

Separately, eircom intends to launch a range of entertainment services over fibre including television via a customer’s broadband connection (IPTV), video on demand, catch up TV and social media via TV.

These new services will complement our existing value added services such as eircom MusicHub, to offer customers a complete range of content to the device of their choice in their home.

Commenting on the announcement, Paul Donovan, CEO eircom Group, said “Our investment of over €100 million underlines the company’s commitment to be the nation’s network provider of choice and to support economic growth in Ireland.

“The introduction of television and entertainment services is extremely exciting and underlines how far the company has progressed during the past two years. We are determined to offer quality products and services that are relevant and offer real value to our customers. Today is the next step in that journey. This is good news for the industry, good news for our employees and good news for Ireland.”

Good news indeed for Ireland - copied from eircom.ie web site - 28/7/2011

Kev. · 28-07-2011 8:34am

So Eircom are going to put 100 million Euro into a new project that's available from UPC already....

Unless they target areas that UPC don't already cover they are destined for failure.....

I cant see anybody changing from UPC fiber to Eircom

ct5amr2ig1nfhp · 28-07-2011 8:36am

Do we not get a similar press release from Eircom every year?

I would hope Eircom are serious about a FTTC/FTTH roll out, however I really don't see this happening - especially in their current financial situation.

Kensington · 28-07-2011 8:39am

Kev. wrote: »

So Eircom are going to put 100 million Euro into a new project that's available from UPC already....

Unless they target areas that UPC don't already cover they are destined for failure.....

I cant see anybody changing from UPC fiber to Eircom

UPC's network is not fibre optic at the customer level, it's co-axial cable.
If Eircom intend running fibre to the home then it could seriously give UPC a run for money.

Sponge Bob · 28-07-2011 8:40am

BearNecessities wrote: »

I would hope Eircom are serious about a FTTC/FTTH roll out, however I really don't see this happening - especially in their current financial situation.

They announced a generation 1 ADSL rollout to 300 exchanges nationwide in March 2007...to be finished by summer 2009. That very limited rollout is not finished in summer 2011 so I really cannot see them managing 300+ cabinets in only a year. Be nice if they could finish what they started first.

UPC must be about to announce something I suspect. :cool:

demanufactured · 28-07-2011 9:54am

Heh , I imagine eircom will charge customers through the roof for this
You'll be paying "Fibre Rental" too

sirione · 28-07-2011 9:59am

we are way behind the rest of europe, this is long overdue, im in drogheda, no sign of fibre power here, were not that far from dublin, wots goin on upc?

TechnoFreek · 28-07-2011 10:00am

It will be good news for the likes of me "out in the sticks of Arklow" if eircom extend the service outside of the main cities.

UPC don't provide broadband so we're stuck with crappy dsl

Sponge Bob · 28-07-2011 10:05am

Word is phase 1 is central Dublin ( D1 and D2 and D3) because UPC coverage in there is very patchy right now.

Mr Simpson · 28-07-2011 10:12am

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Word is phase 1 is central Dublin ( D1 and D2 and D3) because UPC coverage in there is very patchy right now.

I hope so, because UPC is very bad in my area (dublin 3). There were so many problems with the Digital tv that we had to switch to sky.

Johnmb · 28-07-2011 11:01am

How much can be done with €100m though? It's not actually that much to earmark for such an investment. I get the feeling this is more of a PR stunt than a genuine attempt to upgrade the network. I'd imagine you'd be taking billions, not millions, if you were to make any real improvement to the current network.

jor el · 28-07-2011 11:15am

TechnoFreek wrote: »

It will be good news for the likes of me "out in the sticks of Arklow" if eircom extend the service outside of the main cities.

Anyone "out in the sticks" should not get their hopes up over this. Fibre will not extend beyond the main cities and larger towns, probably ever, but certainly not in the next 10 years.

I suspect this announcement to be little more than a PR stunt. They announced trials of ADSL2+ about 6 or 7 years ago (to compete against Smart and Magnet's then superior offering), but never got beyond the trial with it. As SB said, the last planned roll out (to the remaining non-DSL enabled exchanges) was simply dropped, and that was after the programme ran twice as long as it was meant to and only did half what was promised.

Headshot · 28-07-2011 11:32am

How can eircom afford this ?

irishgeo · 28-07-2011 11:37am

jor el wrote: »

Anyone "out in the sticks" should not get their hopes up over this. Fibre will not extend beyond the main cities and larger towns, probably ever, but certainly not in the next 10 years.

I suspect this announcement to be little more than a PR stunt. They announced trials of ADSL2+ about 6 or 7 years ago (to compete against Smart and Magnet's then superior offering), but never got beyond the trial with it. As SB said, the last planned roll out (to the remaining non-DSL enabled exchanges) was simply dropped, and that was after the programme ran twice as long as it was meant to and only did half what was promised.

lets hope enda has a word and gets his hometown of castlebar on this. the exchange is creaking at the seems in castlebarbadly needs fibre to attract some jobs to it.

claremorris has got a fibre link to it done via the railway.

lucernarian · 28-07-2011 11:44am

I'd really love to know what's happening in Wexford as the main exchange there also covers some of the rural hinterland towards Forth Mountain. The information on the eircom wholesale sites suggests they're only using FTTH in Wexford while the likes of Dundrum, Dublin 14/16 is FTTC so far.

I don't know how eircom can afford any of this while they are in breach of debt covenants.

ashleey · 28-07-2011 12:02pm

'Eircom announce that this time, no honestly, that this really is the next generation, we promise, honestly...ad infinitum'

Anyone who believes that any of their PR 'announcements' will make any difference to anything must be seriously naive.

Luckily Eammon Gilmore wasn't sucked in...yawn

I'm just looking forward to the pricing.

Sorry to be so cynical but Eircom are a disgrace.

lucernarian · 28-07-2011 12:07pm

The fibre rollout in Sandyford and Wexford is happening as we speak though. See the www.nextgenerationnetwork.ie website.

Praetorian · 28-07-2011 12:13pm

Well it's positive news if it actually happens. To me the obvious targets for Eircom should be the large towns and areas of cities that UPC haven't targeted. UPC's own rollout seems to have stagnated.

28-07-2011 12:16pm

Dublin areas again :rolleyes:

amacachi · 28-07-2011 12:19pm

1 million households and businesses. Could they not just say "Dublin" then?

p.oconnor · 28-07-2011 12:36pm

i would take it so, as no mention of enabling the rest of the rural exchanges. What a bunch of ****!:mad:

thefinalstage · 28-07-2011 12:47pm

p.oconnor wrote: »

i would take it so, as no mention of enabling the rest of the rural exchanges. What a bunch of ****!:mad:

They are a business. It would not be economically viable to run fibre to every barn yard in the country.

Do you want to pay for the install of the equipment and the length of fibre, labor etc?

p.oconnor · 28-07-2011 1:07pm

poisonedstream wrote: »

They are a business. It would not be economically viable to run fibre to every barn yard in the country.

Do you want to pay for the install of the equipment and the length of fibre, labor etc?

Are you trying to tell me so that in 2011 just because you don't live in built up area, where communities have paid a fortune to Eircom since the exchanges were first built that all we deserve is dial up broadband and patchy 3g mobile broadband.

People sitting behind there desks in D8 making these decisions must not even realise there is a world outside the M50, they are pathetic.

BTW we don't necessarily want fibre, all we want is what the rest of the country was beginning to get in 2002

ashleey · 28-07-2011 1:40pm

Being fair, no one should expect a commercial company to try and connect up scattered housing (planners take note). However, let's face it, 'Next Generation Broadband' was nothing of the sort and fibre actually is a massive improvement on the sorry network that Eircom inherited/left to rot. The point is, that they will finally try and match what is going on all over other countries with a minuscule 'trial' (?) and then when they are finally happy with that they might expand it to a small geographical area. Eamon Gilmore should look a bit more closely at their 'plans' before he proudly states that it shows how Ireland is 'innovating' itself out of the current mess.

TheMilkyPirate · 28-07-2011 1:51pm

Seen a couple of eircom vans out and about this morning down in holes fiddling about and working on the roads, Don't know if this is related but thought i'd put it out there.

Liamario · 28-07-2011 2:00pm

Eircom have been raping this country for too long with its line rental charges. Even if they do bring this in, they'll continue to charge line rental. The only one making any attempt to dethrone them is UPC and their coverage is lacking to say the least.
In terms of this next next gen broadband, I'll believe it when i see it and even if i do see it, i suspect it's going to be a rip off like their current services.

p.oconnor · 28-07-2011 2:16pm

ashleey wrote: »

Being fair, no one should expect a commercial company to try and connect up scattered housing (planners take note).

You see the thing is its not scattered housing its a village with approx 500 people with 4 housing estates, granted alot of finished empty houses but they will someday be sold, not to mention the hundreds within a 3 mile radius, surely it cant cost Eircom or another operator that much?

Sponge Bob · 28-07-2011 2:25pm

eircoms EXISTING fibre network is extensive and half of all exchanges already have fibre. Generally 1gbit minimum. From here ( tick box on right to see detail)

ashleey · 28-07-2011 2:25pm

We live in a bigger satellite town than you and I doubt Eircom will be updating anything here in our lifetime, so I completely understand your point. It's a circular argument that Eircom won't invest until the numbers make sense and the numbers interested in Eircom won't rise while they are a debt laden shell with an antiquated network. It still goes back to the planners etc who could have forced all new developments to be connected up to modern networks (including electricity, water etc.) but they didn't and there won't be much change any time soon.

Our town is actually one of those NR sites in Kilkenny but I haven't noticed any NGN broadband here.

On the NGN site there is a spur to our town which is a Node Reach site, so I guess we can get NG broadband? Then if you go into their retail site our line is capable of 3mb max. I subscribe already to that speed via an alternative provider and Speedtest.net shows we get about 2.25mb and always has done with periodic checks. So I'm confused?

thefinalstage · 28-07-2011 3:18pm

p.oconnor wrote: »

Are you trying to tell me so that in 2011 just because you don't live in built up area, where communities have paid a fortune to Eircom since the exchanges were first built that all we deserve is dial up broadband and patchy 3g mobile broadband.

Yes exactly. You paid for a service. You look enviously upon towns. Move to one and get proper broadband or continue to enjoy clean air.

28-07-2011 3:56pm

Sponge Bob wrote: »

eircoms EXISTING fibre network is extensive and half of all exchanges already have fibre. Generally 1gbit minimum. From here ( tick box on right to see detail)

I think you will find that a lot of people in these "NFN" areas are having problems even getting 3MB speeds.

TheMilkyPirate · 28-07-2011 3:59pm

So what does this mean exactly, Will i be able to enjoy fibre broadband in wexford town soon?

Sponge Bob · 28-07-2011 4:01pm

hellboy99 wrote: »

I think you will find that a lot of people in these "NFN" areas are having problems even getting 3MB speeds.

Absolutely, if NGN ...ADSL2+ is introduced then speeds can drop for some customers...not rise.

godskitchen · 28-07-2011 4:20pm

poisonedstream wrote: »

Yes exactly. You paid for a service. You look enviously upon towns. Move to one and get proper broadband or continue to enjoy clean air.

I am guessing you would have said the same thing if you were around in the 50's when rural electrification was happening.......

Want water? Move to a town!
Want electricity? Move to a town!

I guess the people that supply your food everyday have no need for broadband?

Want food? Move to the countryside and grow your own.

pat13wx · 28-07-2011 4:28pm

If only rural dwellers, such as myself and 1000s of others would welcome such a scheme if it actually went nationwide.

Solair · 28-07-2011 4:31pm

We need proper serious fixed point wireless services in rural areas.

Wired product, i.e. DSL, cable tv and fibre products like FTTH or FTTC can only work in towns. They can work in pretty small towns, but when it comes to rural one off housing and very low density population areas, wireless technologies are the only viable options for those areas.

We need to develop an actual policy of getting fibre to local transmission mast sites in these areas.

Eircom will drive fibre development in areas where they compete with UPC, so you can expect to see this fibre service in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway etc first.

The reality is that those are also the areas with the population densities to support such technology.

We need joined-up-thinking on broadband and rolling out appropriate technologies in each type of area.

Fibre to home is simply never going to be a possibility in rural one-off-housing etc.

D'Peoples Voice · 28-07-2011 4:54pm

Praetorian wrote: »

To me the obvious targets for Eircom should be the large towns and areas of cities that UPC haven't targeted. UPC's own rollout seems to have stagnated.

+1 ......except i just wonder if we are being too hard on Eircom.

As regards the choice of Dublin 1,2 & 3, that would be........unusual choice for a residential product - as opposed to Tallaght, Swords, Clonee or Blanchardstown I would have thought.

But what two postcodes in Dublin would have the highest density of apartment blocks? Arguably Dublin 1 & Dublin 2. Perhaps this would help to keep down the rollout costs - would anyone agree with that suggestion?

Also what two postcodes would have the highest density of businesses, arguably Dublin 1(IFSC) & 2 (Stephens Green/Merrion Square/South Docks). I've no idea how the rollout of the residential product affects the business product, but I'm sure there are some synergies - could anyone confirm this?

Onikage · 28-07-2011 5:45pm

Didn't Eircom propose a €500million fibre project 3 years ago? So long as the govt put in €150million? Why, yes they did...

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/strategy/item/10658-government-will-not-fund-ei

Sponge Bob · 28-07-2011 5:57pm

Onikage wrote: »

Didn't Eircom propose a €500million fibre project 3 years ago? So long as the govt put in €150million? Why, yes they did...

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/strategy/item/10658-government-will-not-fund-ei

In 2008 they wanted govt money to install VDSL (rather than fibre back then) in towns of 10000 population minimum, and then not even all of them. They wanted a subsidy to remain competitive with UPC.

Just so people know, the combined number of premises in towns with a population of 1500 or more is roughly 1m. Below is a list of all these towns in 2006, there were roughly 180 or them. If you do all of these you get your 1m premises.

Anywhere smaller can forget VDSL Fibre and indeed they can forget bog standard ADSL unless they already have it. Some smaller towns will get ADSL2+ which is what the NGN upgrades amounts to.

http://census.cso.ie/Census/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=76513

Greater Dublin Area
Cork City Limerick City Galway City Waterford City Towns 10,000 population and over Drogheda Dundalk Swords Bray Navan (An Uaimh) Ennis Tralee Kilkenny Carlow Naas Sligo Droichead Nua Mullingar Wexford Letterkenny Athlone Celbridge Clonmel Balbriggan Malahide Leixlip Portlaoighise Killarney Greystones Tullamore Carrigaline Castlebar Arklow Cobh Maynooth Ballina Mallow Wicklow Midleton Towns 5,000 - 9,999 population Tramore Enniscorthy Skerries Shannon Portmarnock Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington Longford Ashbourne Dungarvan Rush Athy Cavan Nenagh New Ross Thurles Kildare Ratoath Gorey Tuam Trim Youghal Monaghan Ballinasloe Portarlington Buncrana Carrick-on-Suir Edenderry Fermoy Bandon Dunboyne Donabate Westport Ceannanus Mór Lusk Passage West Newcastle West Birr Tipperary Roscommon Towns 3,000 - 4,999 population Clane Roscrea Ardee Loughrea Carrickmacross Listowel Ballybofey-Stranorlar Clonakilty Kilcock Kinsale Mountmellick Blessington Sallins Kinsealy-Drinan Macroom Oranmore Dunshaughlin Cahir Mitchelstown Bantry Kilcoole Duleek Athenry Carrick-on-Shannon Castleblayney Tower Tullow Monasterevan Clara Towns 1,500 - 2,999 population Kilcullen Rathluirc (or Charleville) Cashel Rathcoole Carrigtwohill Muinebeag Gort Kilrush Ballyshannon Claremorris Newtownmountkennedy Boyle Kill Stamullen Blarney Templemore Donegal Skibbereen Castleisland Kinnegad Athboy Enfield Ballinrobe Bailieborough Bundoran Abbeyfeale Prosperous Carndonagh An Daingean Kanturk Cootehill Moate Enniskerry Castlerea Bunclody-Carrickduff Ballina (North Tipperary) Rathnew Annacotty Thomastown Callan Clones Kingscourt Baltinglass Virginia Ballaghaderreen Rathangan Ballyhaunis Kenmare Ballyjamesduff Crosshaven Sixmilebridge Banagher Killorglin Castlebridge Abbeyleix Clogherhead Dunmore East Newmarket-on-Fergus Portrane Castlecomer-Donaguile Dunmanway Newcastle Swinford

ashleey · 28-07-2011 6:09pm

'And in tomorrow's paper, Eircom renounce yesterday's renouncement of the announcement from a few year's back that they hope to deliver following an announcement soon....'

thefinalstage · 28-07-2011 6:39pm

godskitchen wrote: »

I am guessing you would have said the same thing if you were around in the 50's when rural electrification was happening.......

Want water? Move to a town!
Want electricity? Move to a town!

I guess the people that supply your food everyday have no need for broadband?

Want food? Move to the countryside and grow your own.

You think all our food is Irish? Lol. If I wanted open space I would move to the country. What I am saying is there are certain downsides and benefits.

It's simply that eircom is a private company now. The government subsidises them to give you a telephone line the same way as they subsidised the roll out of water lines and electricity. They are not subsidising broadband roll out. So unless you pay for it to be installed you are getting whatever eircom choose to provide.

paulm17781 · 28-07-2011 7:15pm

I remember posting about this when Eircom started marketing "NGN". People here told me it would never happen, not pessimisticly, it was stated as fact. Oh look....

Sponge Bob · 28-07-2011 8:16pm

paulm17781 wrote: »

People here told me it would never happen, not pessimisticly, it was stated as fact. Oh look....

And what??? UPC can market 20mbits to all but 3 or 4% of their enabled users. The remainder only qualify for 12mbits. 25% of eircom DSL customers qualify for max 3mbits.

UPC pass around 600,000 premises with a MINIMUM 20mbit speed. They are still enabling homes at a rate of at least 30,000 a year. UPC only really started to eat strongly into eircom in 2009..now 1000s a month are switching to them.

eircom are proposing to enable 100,000 homes and businesses in a year which is nowhere in the big scheme of things and most will qualify for 'up to' 40mbits VDSL services. Most can get faster UPC services already. They claim to have a plan to do 300,000 a year over the following 3 years to bring the total to 1m premises. This message is aimed at their bondholders with whom they are negotiating to get the money to stay in the game.

eircom are a lot more serious about broadband but that is because over half of all revenue generating eircom lines carry broadband nowadays. They have drastically dropped prices on national ethernet packages ( leased line equivalents) . You can get 300mbit+ pretty much nationally for the cost of a 2mbit leased line in 2006.

I got quoted this week for 1gbit + of level 2 national transit off four sites ( all four with fibre presentation) collectively to a dublin datacentre for less than €100k a year..the lot. I wouldn't even have bothered ringing them 6 months ago. One site is in a rural village.

This is a negotiating ploy aimed at their bondholders as much as everything else.

DonJose · 28-07-2011 8:39pm

Sponge Bob wrote: »

eircom are a lot more serious about broadband but that is because over half of all revenue generating eircom lines carry broadband nowadays. They have drastically dropped prices on national ethernet packages ( leased line equivalents) . You can get 300mbit+ pretty much nationally for the cost of a 2mbit leased line in 2006.

I am desperate to get a highspeed broadband for my home based software business. I've live in Mullingar, 300 meters from an e|net MAN, UPC service a housing estate 400 meters from my housing estate but have no plans to connect to our estate. The fastest broadband connection I can get is 3mb, it takes me several hours a day to update my website. I am desperate to get either UPC or Eircom fiber to my estate.

How much do these national ethernet packages cost and how would one go about ordering it?

Big Lar · 28-07-2011 9:40pm

DonJose wrote: »

How much do these national ethernet packages cost and how would one go about ordering it?

I would like to know also, and how much ?

10belowzero · 28-07-2011 10:21pm

Hi to sponge bob + tbc - the trial in Wexford and Sandyford have exceeded all expectation's too date,from what I hear, the announcement today about the fibre roll out came out of the blue.
The word among staff is that it is the E.S.O.P (staff) are investing the initial 100 million euro's , with further money earmarked , when all the financial negotiation's are over , I have to say we have waited year's to hear this news , it's just brilliant .
What I do know about the trial is that, it's not being done on the cheap , the very latest transmission equipment and fibre cable advailable on the market is being used , no expence has been spared and the roll out is being kept in house and is all being done by eircom tech's /support team's.
The trial is testing/experimenting with various method's of distribution as well as various transmission and c.p.e equipment covering (FTTC) + (FTTH).
More than that , I can not say,for obvious reason's , but the speed of the roll out , is not ambitious , if the right resource's are put in place , which I believe they will be,this time and the announcement today is by no mean's hype or a publicity stunt.
A huge amount of time , effort and money has been put in to these 2 trial's , which are still on going , the success of them to date , is a credit to the tech's , the support team's, the researcher's in logistic's and the excellent planner's in our planning area as well as the training div, which again prove's that eircom staff can meet (and I bet exceed) the fibre roll out target's .
Today is a good news day for all eircom staff , (even as we say goodbye to hundred's of staff over the next month or so ),it is also good news for the country as a whole , any improvement in our national comm's network has to be welcomed and it only make's good business sense ,that the final product will be priced to be competitive and affordable or people and business will just not buy the product , it's as simple as that , so yes today's announcement is welcome news for us all.

(p.s - tbc ,I'm sorry ,I did't mean to hijack your tread earlier)

DonJose · 28-07-2011 11:01pm

10belowzero if you are looking for anybody to test the FTTH in Mullingar give me a buzz, I'm already an eircom customer and just 300 meters from the e|net MAN line

jimmycrackcorm · 28-07-2011 11:59pm

It's thanks to upc that eircom is taking this step as it is clear that they will be in no position to compete with upc in the future otherwise.

On another note though, I remember when upc announced their investment that it was also €100m so it seems that amount will still leave much of the country with 3mb adsl and no piratebay either!

clohamon · 29-07-2011 8:23am

10belowzero wrote: »

The word among staff is that it is the E.S.O.P (staff) are investing the initial 100 million euro's , with further money earmarked , when all the financial negotiation's are over , I have to say we have waited year's to hear this news , it's just brilliant .

Paul Donovan, Eircom’s chief executive, said the cash-strapped company would fund the investment from its own resources. “We can fund this from free cash flow,” he said. “We have roughly €400 million in cash on hand.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2011/0729/1224301561129.html

Sponge Bob · 29-07-2011 8:49am

DonJose wrote: »

I am desperate to get a highspeed broadband for my home based software business.
How much do these national ethernet packages cost and how would one go about ordering it?

Ring a reseller like Strencom. You will need to get fibre from your home to the exchange as part of the order unless they can bond some copper pairs together.

eircom Announces fibre roll out

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