VDSL dead in the water now.

Sponge Bob

VDSL Dead in the water, Comreg released a report today which explains why the poor dears are better off doing absolutely nothing ......

http://www.comreg.ie/publications/the_business_case_for_sub-loop_unbundling_in_dublin.583.102968.p.html

and VDSL is completely off the menu in Galway and Cork and Limerick and Waterford ......despite their having MANs unlike Dublin. If it can't be sorted in Dublin it certainly will not be allowed to happen in these cities .

Enjoy that 12mbit ADSL2+ if you can get it ( in Dublin and Kildare only of course )

crawler

Now in fairness SB - they didn't exactly say that - they said the SLU case is harder than LLU - which it is

SLU is difficult due to lack of main distribution networks and high density cabinets (or more to the point enough pairs per cab to make a HDC worthwhile!). There is also the issue that bigger cabs need planning permission and that is a world of pain! The issue in smaller co-lo cabinets (That don't need planning) is that there simply is not enough space inside them and if eircom want bigger cabs then they are in the planning permission space - the solution - change the planning criteria to allow for 4 or 6 metre cabs or two adjacent cabs (shane!! ).

Add to that that the cost of e-net dark fibre on the MANs is about three times higher than the cost of most dark fibre around Dublin and the economics start to look very sour.

The report was also mainly for the OAO business case - eircom have publicly committed to doing some VDSL in urban areas where competition is high.

There are other remedies for the SLU case which include operator neutral access to ESB communication ducts, access to vertical real estate such as lamp posts for overhead reinforced/armoured fibre runs etc but all require a lot of joined up thinking and I just don't see that...

I also believe that the only way to tackle this is for OAOs to work together to build the capacity required for backhaul and to lobby for 2nd cabs at same locations....

It can be made work - it is just not easy.

Sponge Bob

crawler wrote: »

Now in fairness SB - they didn't exactly say that - they said the SLU case is harder than LLU - which it is

Tis thorny , we are agreed , and this report commissioned at some expense tells us what we knew anyway .

It is no less thorny post report ...that I can see.

SLU is difficult due to lack of main distribution networks and high density cabinets (or more to the point enough pairs per cab to make a HDC worthwhile!). There is also the issue that bigger cabs need planning permission and that is a world of pain! The issue in smaller co-lo cabinets (That don't need planning) is that there simply is not enough space inside them and if eircom want bigger cabs then they are in the planning permission space - the solution - change the planning criteria to allow for 4 or 6 metre cabs or two adjacent cabs (shane!! ).

All true, this is why the unbundling should sort of be done back in the main exchange on fibre and the outer loop should be layer two tagged 10gE from the main exchange to the cab / customer . The marginal extra carriage cost is negligible on 10gE .

Add to that that the cost of e-net dark fibre on the MANs is about three times higher than the cost of most dark fibre around Dublin and the economics start to look very sour.

But has better coverage in these towns, usually tan thet Dublin darknetters .

There are other remedies for the SLU case which include operator neutral access to ESB communication ducts, access to vertical real estate such as lamp posts for overhead reinforced/armoured fibre runs etc but all require a lot of joined up thinking and I just don't see that...

but I does see an invoice

I also believe that the only way to tackle this is for OAOs to work together to build the capacity required for backhaul and to lobby for 2nd cabs at same locations....

It can be made work - it is just not easy.

I feel that if there is to be no decent copper pricing ( LLU or SLU) then eircom can simply backhaul the lot to where the unbundling is already ( in exchange) and fibre unbundle there from the cab for the same price per loop .... and if they want to sell those exchanges let them pay to backhaul even further.

I feel this report is an excuse for Comreg to do nothing. This excuse will be grasped with both hands.

crawler

Wot he /\ said! Would be nice to see the same report but with guidance that eircom MUST not be used for backhaul or for same cab co-lo of kit or MDF, tie cables only - simply to get the chaps thinking laterally...

AccessQuery

Afternoon all,
Comreg like all other state agencies love producing reports on this and that. If they'd put as much effort into sorting out what is in effect a telecoms dictatorship as they do in commissioning reports and putting committees together, we'd all be in a better place.

A major factor in ComRegs poor performance of course rests with successive communication ministers. These ministers were either not bothered or just didn't want to upset the large voting block of eircom employees and their union brothers. You can decide on that one yourselves.

Quite frankly I'm amazed that everyone is so surprised that absolutely nothing is really being done. Recent commentary has been about splitting eircom. Whoopy so we'll then have a duopoly.

Come on folks what's really needed is a minister and his/her comreg poodle to get some teeth and issue directives to encourage (force) the changes.

I work in the ICT sector and luckily I can telecommute. I've two particular clients, one in Ennis and the other in Bray. Neither can get a stable B.B service. They're either dependent on poor wireless providers or the DSL service they have is so bad that it's very often down when it's needed most i.e. when I'm doing remote assistance for users or trying to deploy software updates.

I've a French buddy who's got the opposite story. His domestic b.b package is so cheap and reliable. His up/down speeds are so high he's got his own webserver set-up in his basement. I'd reckon his up time is close to the 100% mark.

I suppose when you look at Ireland as a whole what government managed sector isn't in a bad way despite the c-tiger years. Health, Transport, Social Services, Education and even local govt isn't in great shape. Look at the Galway and various other e-coli water issues. Yet another govt/local govt mess, literally.

Look at Spain, they can build vast motorway projects in record time scales. I've been passing through Buttevant (Co. Cork) on and off since last September and a contractor/council has been digging one side of their Main St since before then and still not finished. For those of you who don't know Buttevant, the Main St is probably less than a half mile long. What about the m50, why won't the council let them work at night just to get the job done quicker. Absolutely ridicules.

Our b.b issues are just another sad manifestation of us as a country. The political powers that be need to take some firm and decisive action on a range of issues. Of course politicians by their very nature shy away from the hot topics that need a firm hand and action, lest they drop a vote or two. Those govt working groups are great, and so versatile!

So the next time a politician calls to your door, ask them what they're doing about your broadband and the rest. FYI You'll not see them for 4 years or so, so be sure to keep a list of questions stuck to the back of the front door. Lest you forget!

Good luck