What happened to the Meath Broadband project?

vibe666

towards the end of 2006 there was a lot of digging in the roads around Navan and other towns in Meath.

There was several months of traffic problems as a result whilst the roads were dug up, but it sounded like it was going to be worth the trouble.

There were signs up on the roads in and out of Navan that a MAN (Municipal Area Network) was being installed to allow ISP's to offer faster broadband for homes and businesses in the Navan/Meath area.

I had checked online and there was even a website with a map at www.meathbroadband.ie showing where it would run, which as it happened was past the end of my street.

It said that the MAN would be 'lit' in May 2007. I waited with baited breath.

Meath County Council is currently managing the delivery of infrastructure (fibre network) to 5 towns in the County before May 2007 with a further delivery to another 5 towns after that. The provision of high capacity broadband infrastructure is an essential enabler for economic development in the County. This infrastructure is the first step in ensuring a modern and effective communications network is made available to the businesses and residents of Meath.

Then......nothing

In June I emailed them and was told that it was not lit yet and that it was still in testing. I've emailed every couple of months since then but nobody ever gets back to me any more.

I've checked back to the meathbroadband.ie website this morning but it's now gone, altho there is still a small portion of the site in google's cache if you search for meathbroadband.ie.

So what happened to our super fast fibre network?

I seem to remember when I mentioned it in 2006 that someone posted that nothing would come of it and I argued that they wouldn't just dig up the road and then leave it, but it looks to be exactly what they have done. I think they even mentioned another part of the country that had the same thing happen about 5 years ago where a MAN was installed but that it was never connected to the outside world so was largely useless. I don't remember the name of the town tho.

So anyway, what gives? Where's my superfast broadband?

2 odd years ago the upgrade from 512 to 3mbps was welcomed and it was enough, but since the advent of web2.0 and all the content rich sites that go with it with HD video streams etc. 3mbps just isn't enough any more and again we are falling futher behind the rest of europe and the world again.

I've seen the thread about eh *meg LLU2 trials, but until that goes antional it's not a lot of good to me or anyone else outside of Dublin.

I was also contemplating availing of the 4/4mb wireless service of irish broadband until I was scuppered by some trees in the street behind me, so I have no alternatives but what already I have.

godskitchen

This happened before I moved here, but there were a number of towns, Castlebar being one, that had the roads dug up some years ago and fiber put down.

I think there might have been 10 of them, with the promise of "super fast BB for homes and business".

The scheme even had a fancy name like "towns of the future" some crap like that.

Well guess what that fiber infrastructure is being used for now? NOTHING!

Ring your local county council and get talking to the person that was in charge, if only to find out what is going on......................someone will know something...............also might be an idel to contact your local press, I am sure they would be interested in more squandered Celtic Tiger money.

Let us know how you get on!

vibe666

thanks, I suspected as much.

I've been contemplating contacting the local paper, I might have alook now and find their contact details.

smellslikeshoes

Have a look at http://enet.ie/

vibe666

thanks for the link smellslikeshoes, but there's no Meath in there, only Mayo & Monaghan.

I know it was installed by Industria Networks, but when I contacted them they told me they'd handed it all over to Meath Co. Council. Unfortunately, Meath CC aren't talking about it any more.

watty

end users don't get the MAN. Unless you are renting a 100Mbps + connection direct from enet.

godskitchen

watty wrote: »

end users don't get the MAN. Unless you are renting a 100Mbps + connection direct from enet.

How much would that cost? Just out of interest............

And is that what the 10 towns have? Is anyone using the system?

crawler

a few Thousand a month - e-net can only sell to carriers, not to end users or businesses.

UPC use the Man in Navan to connect to Johnstown area so you can see how it works that way....

In general home users do not benefit from MANs.

vibe666

i spoke to a nice lady in meath co. council about this and she tells me that after several delays and extended testing, the project is almost ready to roll out.

she also told me that it is being managed by industria networks, so that's (hopefully) good news too.

She also gave me their contact details so I've mailed them directly about it, but haven't heard anything back yet.

As soon as I do I shall let everyone know.

godskitchen

Its good that you got some info, but its worthless, get them to put it in writing, its your tax money that paid for this to happen, you have the right to know, try to get them to give a time scale too.

If they are unwilling to do this then you have been fobbed off.

vibe666

didn't hear anything back from yer man either. got a read receipt (just to make sure he got it) but no reply.