BT to trial 80Mbps fibre broadband in Ireland ahead of major rollout

Hogzy · 15-08-2012 1:30pm #1

BT is planning to trial fibre-to-the-cabinet broadband in Dun Laoghaire and a number of semi-urban locations across the Republic of Ireland with a view to deploying 80Mbps VDSL broadband. If the trials, which aim to commence next month, are successful BT Ireland will work to secure funding from its parent company to do a widescale rollout.

The move will mean that broadband providers like Vodafone and Sky, who are wholesale customers of BT, will be able to offer 80Mbps services to their customers.

Northern Ireland, where BT is the incumbent operator is currently the most fibre-dense region in all of Europe. At the end of March 89pc of lines in Northern Ireland were connected to a fibre-enabled street cabinet. Current speeds are up to 40Mbps but in the coming months will roughly double to 80Mbps and in the UK BT is looking further at speeds of up to 300Mbps.

According to BT Ireland strategy director Peter Evans, BT would like to repeat the feat in the Republic of Ireland.

A planning application has been submitted to Eircom and ComReg to provide fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) in Dun Laoghaire and a number of semi-urban locations that reflect a typical business/residential scenario in other parts of the country are being considered.

Evans explained that using current ADSL2+ technology it can provide maximum download speeds of 24Mbps and upload speeds of 2Mbps.

However, by deploying fibre-to-the-cabinet and reducing the average length of local loop from 5km down to 800 metres, new services VDSL (Very-high-speed Digital Subscriber Line) broadband would mean download speeds of 80Mbps and upload speeds of 20Mbps would be possible.

“In a process known as sub loop unbundling the mini DSLAM equipment is closer to the customer rather than in an exchange and more of the connection is fibre.

“We’ve done this in Northern Ireland where now 90pc of premises are connected via FTTC.”

Price and reliability are key factors ahead of widescale investment
Evans explained that the first customers to take part in the trial will be wholesale and retail business customers.

“The key hurdles in providing FTTC are getting fibre to that location and powering that location.

“We know the technology works so at this stage it is really about testing the process in terms of Eircom and the regulator and making sure that the regulatory process allows access to the last 800 metres of fibre.”

BT is clearly keen to avoid the regulatory debacle that saw the operator invest tens of millions of euros in unbundling local loops at exchanges around the country only to have its efforts frustrated at every turn by rival Eircom.

BT exited the LLU market in 2009 via a €4.8m deal with Vodafone that allowed the mobile operator to become a force in the LLU broadband market.

Since then the LLU process has improved considerably and according to Vodafone’s recent key performance indicators its fixed line voice and broadband customer numbers increased 9.3pc year-on-year, reaching 241,000.

“We’re doing this for wholesale customer to make sure they know the technology roadmap.”

Wholesale customers of BT include UPC, Sky, Three Ireland, Telefonica (O2) and Vodafone.

“We’re hoping that the trial will be up and running by September.

“If the costings and processes are right we would then go back to BT Group and secure funding to do a widescale deployment across Ireland.

“The key to all of this is business case and cost and ultimately being a wholesale provider that we can ensure that we can deliver a good and reliable customer experience.

In recent weeks BT won a major deal to be the infrastructure partner for Sky which is rolling out broadband services in Ireland. As well as Sky, BT also functions as an LLU partner for Vodafone, which has captured 17pc of the DSL market in Ireland.

According to BT’s recent financial results BT Ireland's Consumer division, which operates in Northern Ireland, recorded strong demand for BT Infinity, its superfast fibre-broadband service, which provides consumers with download speeds of up to 76Mbps. Take up increased by more than four-fold year on year.

In the Republic of Ireland, BT is significantly increasing its local loop unbundling (LLU) footprint, giving the company the capability to deliver high-speed broadband to more than 1.1m phone lines around the country at speeds of up to 24Mbs.

Source: Silicon Republic

This will be very interesting to see. Especially as Sky and BT have teamed together for the Sky broadband roll out.

Does anyone know which BT exchanges have been unbundled so far?

starviewadams · 15-08-2012 3:20pm

Only one that I know of is the Nangor Road exchange in Clondalkin.

Cheerful Spring · 15-08-2012 3:46pm

A planning application has been submitted to Eircom and ComReg to provide fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) in Dun Laoghaire and a number of semi-urban locations that reflect a typical business/residential scenario in other parts of the country are being considered.
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“We know the technology works so at this stage it is really about testing the process in terms of Eircom and the regulator and making sure that the regulatory process allows access to the last 800 metres of fibre.”

BT is clearly keen to avoid the regulatory debacle that saw the operator invest tens of millions of euros in unbundling local loops at exchanges around the country only to have its efforts frustrated at every turn by rival Eircom.

1@ Is Eircom going to hinder progress once more to protect their own interests?

2@ Eircom relationship with Comreg is it too cozy?

3@ Was it right to have Eircom saved by the courts?

Hogzy · 15-08-2012 4:32pm

Cheerful Spring wrote: »

1@ Is Eircom going to hinder progress once more to protect their own interests?

2@ Eircom relationship with Comreg is it too cozy?

I would hope not. If so i would imagine BT would be approaching the Irish/EU competition authorities. The only problem with this is it could slow down the progress of the plan and from the article its quite clear that BT just want to plough on ahead with it. It would be a shame if Comreg/Eircom were to hold the country back AGAIN.

3@ Was it right to have Eircom saved by the courts?

They werent saved by the courts per se. They were only protected for an interim period while a suitable investment was found. It was found, Eircom came out of examinership and therefore no longer has the protection of the courts.

PeadarB · 15-08-2012 8:00pm

Is LLU in a given exchange open to any re-seller?

Praetorian · 15-08-2012 8:24pm

1@ Is Eircom going to hinder progress once more to protect their own interests?

In my opinion, they will publicly support BT's announcement, but they will surreptitiously try and thwart BT at every single turn. Eircom see this as their territory. They will fight it by all means just like they did with LLU.

Ideally for the Irish consumer it would be amazing to see a goldrush approach, or a race between the two telcos to provide VDSL / fibre all over the country.

2@ Eircom relationship with Comreg is it too cozy?

In my opinion, it is way too cosy. It smells like backhanders and corruption to me.

3@ Was it right to have Eircom saved by the courts?

Yes. The alternatives were ugly.

Praetorian · 15-08-2012 8:29pm

I should add I'm delighted to hear about this announcement. I just hope it goes further than a small trial. While I believe Eircom / comreg were at fault for LLU not working, in my opinion BT could have fought for it harder.

Cheerful Spring · 15-08-2012 9:50pm

Praetorian wrote: »

1@ Is Eircom going to hinder progress once more to protect their own interests?

In my opinion, they will publicly support BT's announcement, but they will surreptitiously try and thwart BT at every single turn. Eircom see this as their territory. They will fight it by all means just like they did with LLU.

Ideally for the Irish consumer it would be amazing to see a goldrush approach, or a race between the two telcos to provide VDSL / fibre all over the country.

2@ Eircom relationship with Comreg is it too cozy?

In my opinion, it is way too cosy. It smells like backhanders and corruption to me.

3@ Was it right to have Eircom saved by the courts?

Yes. The alternatives were ugly.

Three answers you gave i would agree with.

D'Peoples Voice · 15-08-2012 11:09pm

Just picture the revised Eircom advert,
an old man at a party talking to two other guys about his 120Mb broadband and On-Demand Television with cheap international phonecalls with UPC, one of the other guys talks about his 80Mb broadband and great TV service from SKY/BT and the other then says, wait and calls over his internet adviser.
the little boy asks the two guys, okay so you have a broadband speed of 80+ Mb compared to our 3Mb in many places, you also have a great TV package available within a bundled package,
but do you have an Indian Customer Service,
a study hub
and a music hub,
thought not, okay we're done :rolleyes:

frankz · 17-08-2012 12:12am

Anyone know what the other "semi-urban areas" are?
ie is there a list of towns available?

deaglan169 · 17-08-2012 8:10pm

from what ive heard they want to trial in mainly rural villages as this has been the most succesful in NI, but i think that part of the trial is some time off as of yet

zg3409 · 20-09-2012 12:01pm

It is interesting that they chose Dun Laoghaire. UPC do not provide broadband in all (most?) of Dun Laoghaire. This is because in the good old days most of Dun Loaghaire could get BBC from a TV aerial so demand for cable was not high. Since then many areas now have MMDS which does not offer broadband, nor phone. (Digital TV with a recording option)

So it looks as if BT has picked a rich area, with no UPC broadband coverage. Possibly a sign of things to come?

Also this service is not going to be of much use to those in the town centre. The telephone exchange on Patrick's street is very close to all the businesses in the main centre. These customers will already be getting 8+Mb/s. The main people to benefit will be those far from the exchange that can currently get less than 2Mb or no service.

Key to this is probably a streaming TV service that operates over the phone line to the street cabinet and from then on through the Fibre. BT have such a product in the UK so we would assume the similar device here.

The short term business case might be hard to realise. I can't see thousands signing up in town areas close to current exchanges. As said it's those who never could get broadband, or very slow broadband may jump for cheap triple-play deals. Their triple play should match Sky's offering or beat it in rural areas.

jmcc · 20-09-2012 12:22pm

1. It is Silirep churnalism.
2. That is enough to be damned cynical about it.

Regards...jmcc

mobil 222 · 22-09-2012 9:23pm

Cheerful Spring wrote: »

A planning application has been submitted to Eircom and ComReg to provide fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) in Dun Laoghaire and a number of semi-urban locations that reflect a typical business/residential scenario in other parts of the country are being considered.
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

“We know the technology works so at this stage it is really about testing the process in terms of Eircom and the regulator and making sure that the regulatory process allows access to the last 800 metres of fibre.”

BT is clearly keen to avoid the regulatory debacle that saw the operator invest tens of millions of euros in unbundling local loops at exchanges around the country only to have its efforts frustrated at every turn by rival Eircom.

1@ Is Eircom going to hinder progress once more to protect their own interests?

2@ Eircom relationship with Comreg is it too cozy?

3@ Was it right to have Eircom saved by the courts?

Cant see Eircom hindering progress because its mony for them as wwell

Nolars · 14-03-2013 12:12pm

Anything ever happen with BT after?

BT to trial 80Mbps fibre broadband in Ireland ahead of major rollout

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