Living in a technology blackhole

oisin

I live in Lucan just 8 miles from the center of Dublin but I'm slap-bang in the middle of a technological blackhole. Just 100 metres from my house, on the south side of the N4, the houses (several estates) are on a DSL enabled exchange (Ballydowd). In fact my son, who lives in one of those houses, got DSL two weeks ago just a week after signing up for it, but the thunderstorm this week knocked it off, and now he's getting the runaround from Eircom to get it repaired. Unfortunately I'm on the Lucan Village exchange which hasn't been upgraded. Since the launch of DSL Eircom have been telling me it will be upgraded before the end of 2003, last week I enquired again only to be told they have no idea when or if ever it will be upgraded. A neighbour who is an Eircom engineer tells me there is a problem with the exchange, I suspect its the size of the exchange which is very small. (Its the small building beside the EHB Clinic in the village, for any other Lucanites).

Most of the same estates on the south side of the N4 also have NTL cable available. Unfortunately NTL haven't upgraded my side of Lucan yet. NTL can't say when that will happen (if ever).

The IBB service from 3Rock Mountain reaches only as far as Clondalkin. The Leap service reaches to Palmerstown on the east side, Clondalkin on the south side and Blanchardstown on the north side. So I'm stuck in this 2 mile square broadband blackhole. I went for ISDN about two years ago and it seems I'll be stuck with it for the foreseeable future. Funilly enough when I try Eircom's online line check for DSL - one line passes and the other fails.

Just to rub salt into the wound, I just got the Sunday Indo with a supplement and CD from Eircom extolling the advantages of broadband, its so damned frustrating, to use a cliche "so near and yet so far" especially when nobody from any of the Telcos, cable or satellite providers can say when if ever they'll be providing a service.

I WANT BROADBAND NOW!!!!!

Oh well, I feel better getting that rant off my chest.

zynaps

Originally posted by oisin
I WANT BROADBAND NOW!!!!!

Oh well, I feel better getting that rant off my chest.

I know how it is - we moved from Cabra to Finglas (though the place was advertised with its address as "Glasnevin", which is funny, not that it matters anyway), and even though this place has only one phone jack in the house, the line failed the DSL test when our old line (with something like 3 extensions and old wiring all over the place) passed the first time I asked about it.

And obviously ntl is out of the question because they're useless and couldn't roll out a wheel.

Also, since I assumed we could easily get broadband, I cancelled my nolimits subscription (its time had come) since it would be too much bloody hassle getting the number changed on it (more CPS provisioning forms or whatever).

So here we are, waiting for IBB to get back to us in the hopes that we're just in range of one of their tranceivers.... but from what I've heard here, they mysteriously take weeks or months to get back to people (or never do) even when called regularly about it.

yaaaAAAAAAAAAAAARrrrrrrrrrrr.

zynaps (oisín)

dieselfreak

Been on the mobile once a month for god knows how long waiting for the Newlands cross exchange to be upgraded...

Finally got the news that IBB had thier antenna on the SIAC building, looked out the window and sure enough there it was !!

Same day got Eircom to disconnect thier poxy phone line.

Still waiting for IBB to do the install.

Had an apointment for Sat 25th and no-one showed up


ARRRRRRGGGGHHH