(Eircom take note)BT extends DSL reach and coverage in North

thejollyrodger

www.siliconrepublic.com

20.08.2004 - Eircom take note! BT has revealed that it is removing distance related limits for its broadband services, expanding coverage to potentially 50,000 more homes and businesses in Northern Ireland within reach of ADSL.

Following a trial by BT Wholesale, the telco said that it was confident that 512Kbps ADSL services can be provided to people who lived and worked beyond the former limit, which was roughly equivalent to 6km from the nearest exchange. By contrast, in the Republic of Ireland the effective range of DSL is closer to 4km; consumers must live within that distance of the nearest telephone exchange to be sure of receiving a DSL signal.

From 6 September, the reach limit for 512Kbps ADSL will be removed, BT claimed. The company is also increasing the range for 1Mbps services from 4km to 6km, which will make 1Mbps ADSL available to more than 90pc of homes and businesses across Northern Ireland that are connected to a broadband-enabled exchange.

Bill Murphy, chief executive of Esat BT, BT Northern Ireland and managing director of BT Regions said: “By pushing the boundaries on broadband reach we are gaining momentum on our exchange upgrade rollout programme which means we in association with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) and supported by the Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme are forging ahead in achieving our ambition of being the first region in Europe to be fully broadband enabled.

“Those people who thought they were beyond the reach of their exchange should check again. When the new developments come in to force in September, place an order with your service provider and in most cases BT will be able to get broadband to you,” Murphy said.

By John Kennedy

thejollyrodger

From 6 September, the reach limit for 512Kbps ADSL will be removed, BT claimed

Does that mean the limit will be 6km for 512kps or will the range be higher than 6km??


I wonder will Eircom fall in line with this move??

Moriarty

It means there will be no set distance limit. They will activate radsl on the line and try their darndest (including sending an engineer out free of charge) to try to then get the adsl working.

thejollyrodger

Surely this must represent a significant step forward in terms of offering broadband to everyone!! I live 6,5km from the nearest exchange in the Republic, I only hope Eircom follows suit

Moriarty

BT is doing this in the UK, not eircom here.

spongebob

fidel wrote:

so can my friends get Broadband in Ballygobackwards???

If Ballygobackwards is within 8KM of the Border then of course they can

M

thejollyrodger

Well if the technology is there to lengthen the distance from the exchanges then there is hope for all those who dont have broadband. The phone lines up the north arent exactly any better than down south. Eircom will have to follow suit, there is government policy which is trying to bring broadband to all of ireland.

_Kaiser_

Eircom will have to follow suit, there is government policy which is trying to bring broadband to all of ireland.

Whilse I agree with you, unfortunately just cause something is Govt Policy (or even cause the appointed regulator - ComReg - says so) doesn't unfortunately mean it'll make any difference to eircom

Only in Ireland eh?
[mini rant - and just an opinion ]
Why is it anything even remotely associated with this state seems to be generally run/staffed by incompetent muppets, is usually behind everyone/everywhere else, and we pay up to twice as much for the "priviledge"?? IS it really the same elsewhere, just that we don't get to hear about it? [/end mini rant]

spongebob

thejollyrodger wrote:

Well if the technology is there to lengthen the distance from the exchanges then there is hope for all those who dont have broadband.

If you live in the UK there is indeed .

The phone lines up the north arent exactly any better than down south.

They are Vastly Better , as an exercise can you find me a half fallen BT pole along a road in the North with wires strewn around the place. That kind of shambles is visible everywhere in Eircom land.

Eircom will have to follow suit

No they won't. There is no effective Regulator in Ireland and no Law to make them follow suit.

....there is government policy which is trying to bring broadband to all of ireland.

Only to towns with a population of 1500 people or more and by 2007 . The rest have to supply themselves through the Group BB scheme although the Government will help with some cash. The government has never tried to provide Universal BB although I heard a story about an experiment that is due to take place on a County Wide basis very shortly. Cant say which County (sorry) save to say that it is not in Munster .

Don't compare the situation down here with the situation in the North where everybody may have BB from 2005 and where BT have Contracted with the Government to prvide Universal BB by end 2005 . You will only make us cry .

M

thejollyrodger

They are Vastly Better , as an exercise can you find me a half fallen BT pole along a road in the North with wires strewn around the place. That kind of shambles is visible everywhere in Eircom land.

Thats rubbish and you know it, those nordies dont have 1/2 the same infastructure as we do. There is lots of fallen down BT lying around the provience and most people agree that BT are basically a mafia organisation.

No they won't. There is no effective Regulator in Ireland and no Law to make them follow suit.

They will because the market will demand it!! As we speak Im contacting my local TD about this matter;)

Only to towns with a population of 1500 people or more and by 2007 . The rest have to supply themselves through the Group BB scheme although the Government will help with some cash.

The government will put up 55% of the funding under E.U rules for group BB schems, NOT JUST SOME, thats 1/2 !!

Don't compare the situation down here with the situation in the North where everybody may have BB from 2005 and where BT have Contracted with the Government to prvide Universal BB by end 2005 .

Negativity wont get you anywhere, this is a chance to get Eircon to make BB available to people who live outside the 4km!!

spongebob

I have never seen anything like Eircom Standard Decrepitude in the North.

Eircom have been fully aware of how to make DSL work to 6Km since BT standardised their test on that length. Why have they not done so ? Mail to phil.nolan@eircom.ie , he can answer your line length/test question for ya.

55% funding is available in the West and Midlands only , hence my use of 'some' . It could be as low as 18% in the Pale .

Eircom simply don't give a **** , they will tell your local TD as much when he writes to them !

M

_Kaiser_

Have to agree with Muck on this one...

thejollyrodger wrote:

They will because the market will demand it!!

How long were they tellin us there wasn't a demand for broadband before they FINALLY started rolling it out? They have an effective monopoly on landlines remember, thus they don't HAVE to worry about what the market (or their customers) demands - not helped, as I mentioned earlier, by a toothless Regulator.

thejollyrodger wrote:

Negativity wont get you anywhere, this is a chance to get Eircon to make BB available to people who live outside the 4km!!

They could yes, but why should they? Don't forget they still make a lot more from the per minute/dialup market - regardless of which ISP you choose to go with. Not negative, just the unfortunate reality of the situation.

I'm not trying to be deliberately argumentative, but it sjust seems to me that you're placing far too much faith in eircom's willingness to be a "customer oriented" company, which they've never been.

thejollyrodger

FFS, living in the 3rd world sucks. :rolleyes:

_Kaiser_

FFS, living in the 3rd world sucks.

Not so much that I think, as the problems highlighted in my "mini rant" above