Internet Scrappage Scheme to move dialup people to broadband?

damien

http://blog.iia.ie/?p=7

Saw this today on the IIA blog:

With this in mind I would like to float an idea and seek opinions. What if we lobby Government to introduce an Internet Scrappage Scheme, similar to the highly effective Vevicle Scrappage Scheme. Dial-up users would be offered either a once-off cash payment or tax credits, if they upgrade their exisiting dial-up facilities to braodband. This will have the double effect of driving demand and generating awareness of the benefits. I am still formulating this idea and want to canvas opinion but if there is enogh enthusiasm for it I can structure a propoer proposal and bring it to the relevant department.

If you are going to leave a comment on their blog, play nice kids.

dhoun

Good idea - although I'm so desperate I would pay the government for any kind of broadband!

watty

The Ol' Demand Redherring!

If access is dramatically increased and all Irish goverment info & forms can be done on line and more local business have online ordering etc then demand will look after itself.

Only a worthwile idea for N.I.

damien

60% of the NI Internet users use broadband. The rest use dialup or ISDN.

scubaman

Dear people,
please help! I am connected to an Eircom exchange, and it is approx 5kilometres from my home, however, in their wisdom, Eircom appear to have fitted cheap exchanges when they were upgraded to digital. I spoke to my local engineer, and he advised me that the exchange has a 3Km limit for broadband! How many homes in Ireland are futher than that from the switch???
BT however, in the UK fitted exchanges capable of an 8Km range - was it just a shortcut or did Eircom get stitched up by their provider???
I have advised my local TD, and he has advised he will bring it up at the dail...
Can anyone else help - and can we perhaps find out if it is worth setting an opinion poll to see how many people actually want broadband but cant get it, not just dont want it ???]I have to work in the UK - as my job requires internet access......and dial up is totally hopeless - I can only get a 30Kb connection on a GOOD DAY!

Anyone else have a similar situation?
So, never mind the home user scrappage scheme - how about one for Eircom!!!

hoping we can get the kit upgraded........patiently!


John Murphy

Sponge Bob

scubaman wrote:

Dear people,
please help! I am connected to an Eircom exchange, and it is approx 5kilometres from my home, however, in their wisdom, Eircom appear to have fitted cheap exchanges when they were upgraded to digital. I spoke to my local engineer, and he advised me that the exchange has a 3Km limit for broadband!

Carraroe in Galway was failing 100% at 1.5km or over, 3km is very high tech to be honest Its not the exchange but shoddy cabling thats causes these failures. Eircom only uses Ericsson AXE family gear in all exchanges nowadays be they urban or rural. There was some alcatel gear until the late 90s .

Exchanges are normally deployed so the max line length is 8km or so. There are exceptions out to as much as 15km .

kaizersoze

scubaman wrote:

....I can only get a 30Kb connection on a GOOD DAY!

If thats as good as it gets then you're on a split line and the problem is not equipment in the exchange. You will never get BB until that splitter is removed and even then you could still have a problem.

Sponge Bob

30k would be consistent with being 4-5 miles from the exchange and on an OK line.

kaizersoze

Sponge Bob wrote:

30k would be consistent with being 4-5 miles from the exchange and on an OK line.

Really? I've often seen alot better than that at those distances and further. I've always put it down to a split line or very poor line with consistant connection speeds like that. Am I wrong?

watty

A split line is more like 14.4 or 19k.

lucernarian

I got a 50.6 kbps connection 3 weeks ago when I tried the dial-up modem when resolving a hardware conflict. The line has 78 dB attenuation or 6.5 km according to eircom.

uncle_sam_ie

To_be_confirmed wrote:

The line has 78 dB attenuation or 6.5 km according to eircom.

Would your line be good enough for at least 256kb?

lucernarian

Possibly with ADSL, definetely with ADSL2Re. I think ADSL2Re can sync at 89 dB.

uncle_sam_ie

To_be_confirmed wrote:

Possibly with ADSL, definetely with ADSL2Re. I think ADSL2Re can sync at 89 dB.

What does eircom need to do to the exchange to upgrade it to ADSL2Re? Is ASDL2Re the same as ASDL2 or ADSLmax?

lucernarian

I think ADSL2RE was developed at roughly the same time as ADSL2+. Eircom's Alcatel DSLAMs can do READSL2. I would say it needs a firmware upgrade, at the most.

Headshot

dhoun wrote:

Good idea - although I'm so desperate I would pay the government for any kind of broadband!

i feel your pain
i live outside a village and ill dought ill ever see broadband in my area

****ing eircom

uncle_sam_ie

To_be_confirmed wrote:

I think ADSL2RE was developed at roughly the same time as ADSL2+. Eircom's Alcatel DSLAMs can do READSL2. I would say it needs a firmware upgrade, at the most.

It's just a firmware upgrade! What the hell is stopping them, apart from greed?

lucernarian

Laziness, no doubt. The DSLAM cards have the capability of operating different kinds of ADSL on the same card, or so it would seem on the Alcatel website.

watty

Greed is pretty major impediment.