Broadband for all by end of 2009

jor el

Eamon Ryan was just on the Last Word and gave a guarantee that everyone in Ireland will be able to get broadband by the end of 2009. Of course, he didn't qualify that by saying what kind of broadband, and we all know he considers Satellite and 3G to be perfectly acceptable forms of broadband. Still, I look forward to 18 months time when we see just how truthful he might be.

Galen

I afraid it is sure to be more empty promises

SkepticOne

This is the impression people get when hearing about the NBS (now without funds apparently), that the NBS will deliver universal broadband. However, if you go back to the earlier announcements by Dempsey, it is about bringing services to areas currently without broadband but within those not everyone will have access. By area, it is most likely meant the area covered by a DSL enabled exchange. After all, even in major urban areas, there are still people who can't get broadband.

For this reason, I think the NBS (were it to go ahead) would be political suicide. Someone in a rural area might be being promised by the department he would get broadband through the NBS only to find years later when the scheme eventually comes to him that his line is too long or too low quality for DSL. Better to contininually delay it until it is either forgotten about or other priorities intervene.

watty

The NBS wasn't going to use DSL hardly at all. It was going to use Fixed Wireless and then Satellite for those that couldn't be served at all at all.

The major problems with NBS, was that it
* Concentrated on delivery of a service rather than Infrastructure,
* Operators not allowed to make profit
* Excluded existing served areas by DSL, Cable or Fixed Wireless, even though maybe 2/3rds of people that can't get Broadband are in those areas. It does nothing for those that fail Wireless LOS, can't get cable (though it passes their site), or fail DSL line test.
* Took entry level 1M/128k 48:1 as the target. A reasonable minimum taget for new infrastructure would be <50ms latency, 3Mbps down/512k up and 20:1 contention for all, with availability of the 1M/128k for those that want a cheaper package.
* Excluded areas that eircom says they will DSL enable.

Cabaal

He dodged answer the question regarding being able to use VoIP & games on Mobile Broadband and that its not proper Broadband.

100% Broadband availability in Ireland will not happen, sure didn't the people in the black valley in Co Kerry only get PSTN lines a few years ago...Broadband is something they can only dream of I'm sure.

watty

Or if you want to use a cheap PC / Handset remote to your own home to watch your own videos, play your own games etc.. you need 512k upload.

He's really talking about a universal alternative to PSTN 33k dialup. Services that sometimes are outperformed by 2x ch ISDN.

clohamon

Irish Times records withdrawal of BT from NBS due to spectrum shortage.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2008/0726/1217013245910.html

(and by the way its been put back another two months)

thefinalstage

clohamon wrote: »

Irish Times records withdrawal of BT from NBS due to spectrum shortage.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2008/0726/1217013245910.html

(and by the way its been put back another two months)

So its down to Eircom and 3. Every small village is boned now.

richardw001

If I was an operator (other than Eircom obviously) then I would be kicking up over the fact that they have an unfair competitive advantage - in knowing where the next exchange is going to be enabled. Given their position I think that they should have to publish exactly when and where they are going to be enabling exchanges.