Laois to become central hub of broadband infrastructure

aidan_dunne · 09-01-2002 8:11pm #1

I saw this in this weeks issue of The Leinster Express, which is my local paper. I reckon it's more pie-in-the-sky but if it's true it would mean a lot to me, seeing as I live in Portlaoise. It would also make a change from Dublin getting everything first.

Laois to become central hub of broadband infrastructure

PORTLAOISE is to undergo an overhaul of its IT capabilities when it becomes the centre of a giant figure-of-eight fibre optic communications cable, dubbed broadband, by the middle of next year.

The €50 million fibre optic network of cables will mean that Laois businesses will have access to a high quality information technology and communications network, able to send and receive information in a fraction of the time taken at present.

The route taken by a section of the broadband cable will be from City West, Dublin to Shannon via Portlaoise, Roscrea and Nenagh, roughly following the Limerick road through the county.

The existing broadband which circles Dublin saw a number of e-business companies set up along its length and was instrumental in attracting a large amount of overseas investment.

The cable itself has a wide diameter and is capable of handling huge amounts of information at very high speeds. The cable is attached to overhead lines using robot technology and will cover over 1300km by the time it is finished, linking Laois businesses to many other national centres.

Speaking at a meeting in September of last year of the Midland Regional Authority director James Stone stressed: "It is imperative that we modernize the telecommunications infrastructure. This is an area of crucial importance in terms of the future direction of the country and of jobs." He said that fibre optic links might be established within towns, connecting businesses, schools and statutory bodies.

The Midland Regional Authority, which co-ordinates EU funding for Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, has submitted a proposal for grant aid which local authorities in the region will use to install broadband communications. Mr Stone said this week that submissions from all over the country are currently being evaluated by an agent for the Department of Public Enterprise.

Clarification has been sought by the Department and the final submission has to be in by this Friday. While the broadband infrastructure will be 90 per cent grant-aided, there will probably not be enough funding to cover the entire country.

The importance of the broadband network, which is supported at the highest levels of government, was highlighted in an Irish Times article last Friday. The article cited several recent reports - including studies from Forfas, the National Competitiveness Council, IBEC and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce - which warned that the Republic's economic and social health and ability to compete will be seriously threatened unless new networks are installed, existing fibre is utilised, access prices are chopped and new services introduced. Ireland is currently placed by the OECD at 27th out of 30 countries for its national broadband infrastructure.

The broadband system, which is being installed by the ESB, is well underway according to spokesman John McSweeney. "We have already finished a substantial proportion of the digital fibre optic network with over 400 km of the eventual 1300km complete and are working on completing the Dubin - Shannon, Dublin -Waterford and Waterford - Cork sections," he said.

Other sections to be completed include Clare - Galway, Roscommon - Sligo - Leitrim, Donegal - Meath- Louth - Monaghan - Cavan and Donegal.

THE LEINSTER EXPRESS, JANUARY 12TH 2002

So folks, what do you all make of that. Like I said, I reckon it's more pie-in-the-sky and after being let down so often in the past I'm certainly not getting my hopes up but it looks interesting. One other thing, though. This is all being based on the whole ESB plan of stringing fibre along the powerlines but I thought they discovered serious problems with that and were thinking of scraping the idea or already had. Anyone want to enlighten me on that situation?

SkepticOne · 09-01-2002 8:52pm

Won't you still need a leased line to access this?

aidan_dunne · 09-01-2002 9:06pm

Originally posted by SkepticOne
Won't you still need a leased line to access this?

Yep, I reckon so. It only seems to mention businesses in the article and, once again, us home users are being ignored or overlooked. Even if what's said in the article is true, it seems I won't be able to use it or neither will lots of other people in Laois and the midlands, unless you're able to cough up the big bucks.

SkepticOne · 09-01-2002 9:12pm

Originally posted by aidan_dunne
Even if what's said in the article is true, it seems I won't be able to use it or neither will lots of other people in Laois and the midlands, unless you're able to cough up the big bucks.

Of course, it is still a good thing. Medium and larger companies that would previously have had to locate in Dublin and the larger cities can now locate to these regions and create employment.

But I think there's an element of confusion in the minds of policymakers when they agree to fund this kind of thing. I believe (but can't yet prove) that politicians get demands from very small businesses and home users for ADSL style broadband and the result is this sort of thing.

aidan_dunne · 09-01-2002 10:24pm

I agree with you, Skeptic. The sad thing is that there already is fibre all over the country, just lying there unlit, as I said on another posting. Here we have the governement looking to fund the laying of fibre or looking to use the likes of CIE's fibre network when there is already plenty of fibre lying around unused.

While I agree that it's a good thing that the politicians and the government are finally realising how dire a situation the country are in and want to remedy it, they are going about it the wrong way and wasting taxpayers money by doing so. They need to go to the likes of Eircom and tell them to get the unused fibre lit up and get it lit up now or threaten serious action against them, even to the point of pulling their licence if necessary. There's no point in having two fibre networks around the country. Let's force Eircom to let the country use the one that's there already.

MarcusGarvey · 09-01-2002 10:50pm

I wonder will we see Eircom selling it on to the Government ?

SkepticOne · 09-01-2002 11:06pm

Originally posted by MarcusGarvey
I wonder will we see Eircom selling it on to the Government ?

The main beneficiaries of this will be the leased line providers. New markets for leased lines will be created by these fibre networks. Outside of Dublin, I believe, this is largely an Eircom thing.

po0k · 16-01-2002 12:26pm

I reckon having two networks would be a decent idea. As long as they're all on the INEX there'd be feck all slowdown going between em and it would hit into eircom's monopoly.
I can't understand why they leave the fibre dark anyways. It's just sitting here when it could be earning its cost back for em though residential lines.
It's a real shame.

Yey ESB.

Psychotic · 18-01-2002 12:01pm

No its not an Eircom thing ESB are placing the cable over the power lines, and fibre-optic cable doesnt have to be a leased line.

There has been a lot a information about the fibre currently beening installed in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal thru to Letterkenny. This will be done when the Dublin side of the figure of eight is completed by the ESB. Letterkenny expect the ESB power plant to maybe be completed by September.

I am not sure about other projects by the ESB but i do know that the rest of the country is geting this fibre-optic especially the west of Ireland - Limerick to Donegal

SkepticOne · 18-01-2002 1:54pm

Originally posted by Psychotic
No its not an Eircom thing ESB are placing the cable over the power lines, and fibre-optic cable doesnt have to be a leased line.

Are the ESB planning to deliver bandwidth directly to premises or is that going to be down to third-parties?

Stonemason · 19-01-2002 5:33am

Anyone Know how to tap into a fibre optic cable without being caught ? coz judging by the reports on the ESB cable route it should run past my house about 10ft away

Stone

scojones · 19-01-2002 2:25pm

use jumper cables, that should do it! Stand back though, if you get electrocuted don't blame little ol' me

Stonemason · 21-01-2002 12:35am

It OK ive got a good stirdy pair of wellies.

Stone:D

Laois to become central hub of broadband infrastructure

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