Broadband use triples since October

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2004/0308/breaking77.htm

Broadband use triples since October
By Luke Cassidy Last updated: 08-03-04, 18:30

There are now 42,000 broadband customers in Ireland, an increase of 300 per cent since October, according to Department of Communication figures released today.

The Minister for Communications Mr Dermot Ahern said that there had been a dramatic and sustained take-up of broadband and flat rate services within the last six months following initiatives to drive down prices.

Over 100,000 people in Ireland now use either flat rate Internet access or broadband compared to 43,000 in October of last year.

Mr Ahern was speaking in Brussels following a meeting of the EU Council of Telecommunications.

At the meeting he urged continuing co-operation between member states in battling spam which now accounts for 50 per cent of all emails.

Mr Ahern said "The Irish Presidency is keen to explore opportunities for co-operation with the US in the fight against spam."

"We would like to take the opportunity of the Presidency to encourage our EU counterparts to engage in similar initiatives," Mr Ahern concluded.

More here:
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single2841

Ahern claims internet victory after broadband usage triples


08.03.2004 - Communications minister Dermot Ahern TD has claimed that broadband usage in Ireland has tripled in the six months following the introduction of his various initiatives in driving down prices and improving competition with more than 100,000 people using broadband and flat rate internet access services. He also called for more co-operation between EU ministers in combating soaring levels of spam.

Addressing the EU Council of Telecommunications Ministers in Brussels, Ahern said that some 60,000 people are accessing flat rate services, compared with 30,000 in October 2003 and that some 42,000 people are accessing broadband services, compared with 13,000 in October 2003.

Ahern said that there has been a 33pc weekly increase since broadband packages of €40 per month were introduced and argued that if prices continued to fall there would be an even greater take-up.

“I have argued for some time that once the price was right the Irish consumer would bite. As prices have tumbled, the consumer has upgraded either to flat rate or broadband. I believe with increasing competition on broadband, the numbers opting for high speed will continue to show dramatic increases.

“The Government has invested heavily in broadband. Last year and this year we are spending €65m on the 19 towns metro rings fibre project which will bring high speed connectivity in central networks running through towns and cities. We are also going to deliver broadband to every town of 1,500 people or more. At the weekend I announced details of the €25m Group Broadband Scheme for smaller towns, villages and rural communities. We have also struck an €18m deal with industry to bring broadband to all 4,100 primary and secondary schools commencing this year with industry funding the bulk of this.

“In addition, we have seen new backhaul rollout, particularly that from ESB and ESAT BT which has significantly cut access costs to the regions, linking international hubs with the Metro rings,” Minister Ahern said.

Looking at the ICT sector as a whole, Ahern said he believed that the two year-long consolidation of the sector has ended and that the industry was ripe for growth and expansion.

“The sector plays a strategic role in the growth of the European economy. The sector has been the largest contributor to European productivity growth.”

“Governments have an important role to play through increasing their own usage of ICTs and broadband applications and where needed they can support the provision of services and infrastructure in under-served areas. The importance of the implementation of the new regulatory framework must not be ignored because of its role in creating a predictable legal environment for the benefit of investors and enhancing competition,” he said.

Ahern urged continuing co-operation between the EU Commission, Member States and relevant stakeholders and international players in battling “spam” or unsolicited e-mails. He said spam now accounted for 50pc of all emails. It was an issue that had to be tackled in a concerted international way.

Ahern concluded: “The Irish Presidency is keen to explore opportunities for co-operation with the US in the fight against spam. We would like to take the opportunity of the Presidency to encourage our EU counterparts to engage in similar initiatives.”

By John Kennedy

stormkeeper

Finally, the government are catching on, 'tis a miracle! Maybe our dreams of being the E-Hub of Europe mightn't be in vain, then again, I'm not going to hold my breath just yet...

Urban Weigl

Originally posted by Kennett
Finally, the government are catching on, 'tis a miracle! Maybe our dreams of being the E-Hub of Europe mightn't be in vain, then again, I'm not going to hold my breath just yet...

Not trying to be negative here, but at this stage no matter what the takeup, it is unrealistic to expect that we will be able to catch up anytime soon (if ever). We should be able to catch up with countries like Poland, however, when they join.

We still have a chance to become the first country in Europe with 100% FTTH. We will have to act quickly on that however, as the likes of Sweden have already started rolling this out.

Mr_Man

Given what we know about the state of Eircom's network and the dividend policy they are using to attract investors I would say that we have as much chance of being the first country in Europe with 100% FTTH as the Government has of keeping its promises on reducing waiting lists.

And sure didn't even Bertie boy admit yesterday that they weren't going to make it................

M.

Sarsfield

I'm quite encouraged by the apparent high level of awareness among the people I meet (the non-techie ones).

Even my dear mother and her sister, both in their sixties have asked me if bb would suit them. Friends, family and colleagues are chosing bb (or not, as the case may be) based on their internet requirements, not on cost or availability. Availability being less of an issue here in the big smoke. I haven't actually met anyone yet who failed a line test!

All this was BEFORE the sub-€30 offering from UTV.

I know my experience won't be the same as everyone elses, but I find it very encouraging nevertheless.

I don't see why we can't catch up with the brodband leaders quickly. We've done it with mobile phones, satellite TV, and probably many other consumer electronics products. Why not internet?

If the demand is there, even Eircom will follow. Especially if there is no other fast-growing product for them to sell!

Urban Weigl

Sarsfield, I agree with you here, which is why I have always argued that given the right conditions, Ireland's rightful position would be at the top of Europe [in terms of Internet and broadband penetration]. If not at number one, certainly at the top.

Whereas in Germany [for example], people tend to be scared of new technology, or unwilling to invest in something new, the Irish would have been the first out of the box.

The only reason, and let me repeat the only reason, why this did not happen is that our government let us down. Big time. They acted against the public interest. Focus was lost. Our infrastructure got flogged to a group of investors, who had no interest whatsoever in our future, all for the sake of a few extra bob for Charley McCreevy. Either through "corruption", stupidity, or both. Anywhere else this would be called treason.

Da Man

Am I missing something, but why is this good news? We now have a minister with fairly dubious competence who will congratulate himself that despite truly incompetent regulation and expensive services over an inferior network, broadband use has increased and everything is good.

dahamsta

Originally posted by Mr_Man
Given what we know about the state of Eircom's network and the dividend policy they are using to attract investors I would say that we have as much chance of being the first country in Europe with 100% FTTH as the Government has of keeping its promises on reducing waiting lists.

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but what has Eircom got to do with FTTH? FTTH would require a completely new infrastructure, including both last-mile cable-laying and hubs at some level. I'm not sure where Eircom comes into it?

adam

MrPinK

I have argued for some time that once the price was right the Irish consumer would bite

The cheeky son of a bitch. He was still insisting that the demand just wasn't there only a month ago on Agenda....

No, again, the demand, isn't… is to a certain extent… not there

sceptre

Not really originally posted by the Minister for Fones and Fish
“I have argued for some time that once the price was right the Irish consumer would bite.

Er, no Dermot. You didn't say that at all, like MrPink said. IrelandOffline said it, EircomTribunal said it, savvy journos said it, I even said it. You didn't - what you said was in fact the opposite

cue Fr Ted style "small" and "far away" comparison

Ne'ertheless, I'm off-topicking the thread - there are some good questions above in the thread that I wouldn't like to see lost.

Mr_Man

If Eircom are not the entity who are going to invest in the new infrastructure who are you proposing do it ?

As we know from the days of TE and before that PTT a semi state body is not the answer. So are you suggesting another commercial entity, and if so on what basis would you entice someone to make such a massive investment ?

M

dahamsta

I'm not proposing anyone or anything. I'm simply pointing out that Eircom's current assets don't give them a significant advantage when it comes to FTTH rollout. An advantage, yes, but not a huge one. We have major fibre coming our of our ears, and proper co-location regulation would put retail operations on a level playing ground.

I don't agree that PTT/TE proves that semi-state can't work by the way. It just proves that PTT/TE were badly run. Remember that at one stage we did in fact have a world-class communications network.

adam