Rural Broadband Scheme Information Megathread

Cabaal

Ok everyone this is basically how it works and this is where everyone can post any questions etc

The Gov have launched a new scheme as outlined on the thejournal.ie which you can read here - http://www.thejournal.ie/plan-for-full-broadband-coverage-in-ireland-by-end-of-2012-133291-May2011/

Further information is available from the Dept of Communications here - http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Communications/Communications+Development/Rural+Broadband+Scheme

Its important to remember that the RBS scheme only applys if you have no access to ANY ISP, Just because you can't get fast 8MB Broadband doesn't mean that you can apply to the RBS. So before you jump in and apply remember the above.

Appplication form is located here - https://secure.dcenr.gov.ie/InternetRBS/apply/apply?execution=e1s1

If you apply to the RBS scheme this means they will pay part of the connection costs to a Broadband service if you can't already get a service, this however does not mean you will get free Broadband on a monthly basis.

How it works is explained on the Dept Of Communications website:

How will the scheme work?
There will be a number of phases in the Scheme. This first phase involves inviting and processing applications. The Department will be accepting applications from 9 May 2011 until 29 July 2011.

In the second phase of the Scheme, the Department will check with existing internet service providers to see if they are willing to provide a service to the premises concerned. If they are willing to provide a service, we will write to you and ask your permission to be contacted by the companies concerned. If a service can be provided to you in this way, your application under the scheme will be closed.

If none of the companies concerned are prepared to offer you a service, then your application will progress to the next phase in the Scheme. We will write to you at that stage and let you know. We expect the second Phase of the Scheme to be completed by January 2012 at the latest.

In the third phase of the Scheme, the Department will engage an internet service provider who will offer a basic internet service to applicants. We will pass the details of all applicants to this service provider who will contact the applicants and offer them the service. While the Department will be paying part of the cost of the infrastructure necessary to provide a service under this Scheme, the applicant will be responsible for paying the costs of the service itself. This may include some upfront connection costs as well as monthly charges for the service. Further details of the service and related costs will become available once the Service Provider has been selected. You will not be obliged to take up the offer of a service under this Scheme.

We expect roll out of this service to commence in early 2012. The Scheme should be completed by the end of 2012 at the latest.

Sponge Bob

The department intends to grant one ISP the contract. What they cannot figure out is the demand. If demand is as they project then they have crudely €500 per household in the kitty. If demand greatly exceeds projections it will be less. This thing has been promised since June 2008. It took the department 3 years to sort of figure out what to do.

This thing was called the Unserved Rural Premises scheme for some time and is now called the "Rural Broadband Scheme" . Much of the funding comes from the Common Agriculture Policy.

Sadly the department can't even design their own website...eg which bodes ill for a complex scheme like this.

Here is what they are trying to do, apart from design the final tender based on feedback on this website.

1. There are 3500 electoral districts in Ireland of which 500 are urban.
2. The National Broadband Scheme provided a midband or satellite service in 1100 of the 3500 Districts.
3. The government will allow people in the remaining 1900 RURAL electoral districts AND who cannot get Broadband to register to request a Broadband service. They will probably provide a satellite service off Ka Sat later this year at a decent price.
4. Nothing will be done for you if you are in an urban area but if you want Satellite cheap get a rural neighbour to get satellite and move the dish!

LoTwan

So I can go ahead & have satellite BB installed now (& pay the installation charge myself) or I can go through the application process, wait at least 8 months & then share the kitty for the installation charge, pay the balance myself & not know the service I'm getting until the tender process is finished?

I don't think I would survive that long in 4 bar land with my only Internet access being my phone... I suspect I'll be paying for the dish to go up.

long_b

What about people who can get midband via 3G/HSDPA signal ?

johnners2981

Still not sure what this means for me, been living off mobile broadband with no coverage for last 2 years because have no access to proper broadband. Just applied there today so maybe I'll know more when I recieve the letter they're sending to me now.

LaVail

Im living off 3 mobile midband for 1.5 years. Speeds for the past 6months have been horrible with "peak" hours lasting up to 15hrs per day. I constantly get sppeds of 0.12mbps ,

Three claim perfect coverage in my area although o2,meteor and vodafone do not. They also say my area is not included in the NBS although from what I hear its basically the same thing with the same speeds. Surely speeds like this cannot be considered "broadband" is this what im going to be stuck with for as long as I stay here? One bar signal and speeds of 0.10mbps are a joke in reality its 56k dial up

speedtest taken just now



When I check the links provided by OP I can see that my area is indicated in "yellow" which states that it is part of the Rural Broadband Scheme.

What does that mean for me?

yuloni

This post has been deleted.

Sponge Bob

LaVail wrote: »

When I check the links provided by OP I can see that my area is indicated in "yellow" which states that it is part of the Rural Broadband Scheme.

What does that mean for me?

It probably means that a Booster will cost you €400 today but may be free in December or January when this thing actually launches. The Dept of Communications and Analysys Mason will conspire to accept ludicrously optimistic coverage assertions from mobile operators like they did for the NBS...assuming Analysys is involved that is.

roast

So they haven't actually granted it to an ISP yet?

Christ, I really hope they don't award this to Three.

Cabaal

roast wrote: »

Christ, I really hope they don't award this to Three.

I'm betting good odds that is exactly who will get it,

munchkin_utd

roast wrote: »

So they haven't actually granted it to an ISP yet?

Christ, I really hope they don't award this to Three.

is it not already a done deal?
i.e.

see this page:
http://www.three.ie/nbs/index.html

djdrobins

Like LaVail,
I too only get intermittent connection on the 3 mobile network. Lately we can't get a connection until about 10 at night, or between 11 and 3 in the day (week days only - forget about weekends).
And that is if the weather is good, no rain, bad wind, or snow - 3 hate snow.
So I have applied and yeah - it appears my address is on the list. But I know that 3 can offer me some sort of a connection and there is a satellite service if i pay 45+ euro a month, plus the 150 installation fee etc (Then the 100 euro for router)
Gotta love these schemes where they can drip feed the little people who don't live in Dublin, then pat themselves on the back and say "we are bringing broadband to everyone!"

Sponge Bob

The contract is not awarded. The thing Rabbitte announced is part of the research before the TENDER goes out later this year.

If the takeup (registrations) on the new website is low I reckon eircom will get the contract.

If the takeup (registrations) is high it will be between eircom/meteor and three and quite possibly vodafone

High means 20,000 plus registrations. Many of those who register will only end up getting a Cheap/Free Ka Sat dish install ( normal cost €500 or €600) no matter who is chosen.

roast

The NBS is different to the RBS. Three's coverage in rural areas is horrendous, and the satellite alternative they provide is even worse.

There's a 90% chance three will get the contract.... I'm just in denial. I really hope they don't!

Sponge Bob

Dunno about 90%, 50% would be more accurate.

roast

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Dunno about 90%, 50% would be more accurate.

Aye, probably...

Out of curiosity, who does everyone hope gets the contract?

Sponge Bob

roast wrote: »

Aye, probably...

Out of curiosity, who does everyone hope gets the contract?

eircom actually , but that they may deliver no more than 3% of the contract on satellite and that will force them to invest the lot in their network.

yuloni

This post has been deleted.

johnners2981

well I imagine that the isp that gets the deal will get money from the government for installation and the monthly payments from the customers so basically its a win win for the isp, why else would they want it

LaVail

As I believe it that mobile midband customers cannot have their speeds throttled, congestion seems to be the biggest problem im facing.

Three state that any speed over 0.40mbps/400kbps is broadband and recognise that I am not able to obtain these results and in turn not receiving broadband as stated.

They know this site has major problems for over 12 months but still nothing has been done on their part to improve the quality of service they provide.

IMO I hope that three doesnt get the RBS because judging on current and past performance they could care less for users facing major difficulty in certain parts of the country.

Does anyone know if money is going to be invested into improving the quality of mobile midband to existing customers because if I get rejected from the RBS then using mobile midband is my only option.

LaVail

Just got a call this morning from a lovely Dublin lady and she was looking for my house on google earth, took a while but she found it in the end. She said she was attaching a photo of our house to the info letter they are sending out in the post.

Hopefully we will meet the criteria and be included in the scheme.

johnners2981

LaVail wrote: »

Just got a call this morning from a lovely Dublin lady and she was looking for my house on google earth, took a while but she found it in the end. She said she was attaching a photo of our house to the info letter they are sending out in the post.

Hopefully we will meet the criteria and be included in the scheme.

when did you apply, I havn't heard anything yet Altough I'm not expecting to have broadband installed anytime soon

LaVail

johnners2981 wrote: »

when did you apply, I havn't heard anything yet Altough I'm not expecting to have broadband installed anytime soon

I filled out the form the morning it was announced, early last week I think. I was told on the phone that the first 3months will be used to deal with applicants so I wouldnt worry if they didnt call you yet as they will get around to it at some stage.

Im not very optimistic as to what kind of service we will receive if our application is granted but anything is better then what we have here at the moment :pac:

bealtine

LaVail wrote: »

Im not very optimistic as to what kind of service we will receive if our application is granted but anything is better then what we have here at the moment

Only if you consider satellite midband as "better"

LaVail

bealtine wrote: »

Only if you consider satellite midband as "better"

well atm I am only getting 0.10mbps with a ping of 200-350 for hours on end until congestion is eased, so if I got 1mbps from satellite then It would be an improvement, the only real thing I worry about is the ping which could get extremely high..Its a case of six of one or half a dozen of the other I suppose.

William Powell

Why are we calling this Broadband when so far the only suggested solutions are Midband?

Just applied btw

William Powell

Just got another 4 neighbors to sign up (or at least they say they will), none of them has anything other than a very contended low signal strenght 3 mobile conection. Might go around and see if I can get the rest of the houses in the area to sign up. It would be interesting to know how a dozen or so people in the same area will get treated?

johndub

I can only hope that Ripple are not awarded anything under the RBS - as someone livinging in a rural area ( South Dublin ) our service with Ripple has been completly down since last Tuesday with no satisfactory explanation - when it is working speed is always an issue.

PogMoThoin

William Powell wrote: »

Why are we calling this Broadband when so far the only suggested solutions are Midband?

Just applied btw

Because in this country we fudge statistics to make things look better than the dire state they're in. No other country includes mobile. You really thing only 1% can't get broadband like they say?

William Powell

Is there any chance Eircom will take some of the money and use it to upgrade some rural exchanges for real Broadband?

Headshot

I signed my brother up to this

The cruel thing the house right beside him can get Eircom broadband but he cant get it

Headshot

Headshot wrote: »

I signed my brother up to this

The cruel thing the house right beside him can get Eircom broadband but he cant get it

This Scheme is a total sham

He's forced to use that 3 crap

William Powell

LaVail wrote: »

Just got a call this morning from a lovely Dublin lady and she was looking for my house on google earth, took a while but she found it in the end. She said she was attaching a photo of our house to the info letter they are sending out in the post.

Hopefully we will meet the criteria and be included in the scheme.

I signed up online about a week ago and had a call from a very pleasant lady who wanted to confirm where I lived to check we were in an area covered by Rural Broadband Scheme.


The Department seems to be using a google based application and logging the EXACT location of every applicant, once the location is confirmed they are sending out letters confirming your details. As locating us is a bit tricky we exchanged a couple of emails and I confirmed the picture they were looking at was in fact our house (note to self: the house needs painting )

LaVail

William Powell wrote: »

I signed up online about a week ago and had a call from a very pleasant lady who wanted to confirm where I lived to check we were in an area covered by Rural Broadband Scheme.


The Department seems to be using a google based application and logging the EXACT location of every applicant, once the location is confirmed they are sending out letters confirming your details. As locating us is a bit tricky we exchanged a couple of emails and I confirmed the picture they were looking at was in fact our house (note to self: the house needs painting )

Yeah I went through the same process where they were looking on google maps for my address, took a while to find it but she eventually did. I get a letter in the post yesterday from the department about the scheme but it doesnt really say anything other then tee fact that it is still in phase one and will take a few months to implement. They also talk about passing on my information to other providers in my area to see if they will offer broadband.

To be honest the hole scheme will be a disaster if they are stating satellite is "broadband" I dont know much about the speeds but I assume they will be poor enough (1Mbps?) and a high ping also I fear a low cap maybe 20GB?

Maybe somebody on here with better knowledge could fill us in a little?

roast

LaVail wrote: »

Yeah I went through the same process where they were looking on google maps for my address, took a while to find it but she eventually did. I get a letter in the post yesterday from the department about the scheme but it doesnt really say anything other then tee fact that it is still in phase one and will take a few months to implement. They also talk about passing on my information to other providers in my area to see if they will offer broadband.

To be honest the hole scheme will be a disaster if they are stating satellite is "broadband" I dont know much about the speeds but I assume they will be poor enough (1Mbps?) and a high ping also I fear a low cap maybe 20GB?

Maybe somebody on here with better knowledge could fill us in a little?

I would assume that the specs for the Satellite plan would be the same as covered by the NBS.
In which case;

Download Speed - 1Mbps
Upload Speed - 128kbps
Contention - 48:1
Round-trip latency - 800ms

As for usage limits;

In the case of satellite product, an uncharged monthly data cap of 11GB (10GB download and 1GB upload) applies.

Miserable enough, and certainly not broadband, but at least its better than no connection at all.

Source

William Powell

roast wrote: »

I would assume that the specs for the Satellite plan would be the same as covered by the NBS.
In which case;

Download Speed - 1Mbps
Upload Speed - 128kbps
Contention - 48:1
Round-trip latency - 800ms

As for usage limits;


Miserable enough, and certainly not broadband, but at least its better than no connection at all.

In the case of satellite product, an uncharged monthly data cap of 11GB (10GB download and 1GB upload) applies.

Source

If its subsidised and the same price as the NBS I'll take it. Then I can either drop the ISDN line or my 3 steps to hell connection.

LaVail

roast wrote: »

I would assume that the specs for the Satellite plan would be the same as covered by the NBS.
In which case;




As for usage limits;


Miserable enough, and certainly not broadband, but at least its better than no connection at all.

Source

Thanks for the info..The whole package seems pretty brutal tbh, hoping they pass on my info to some other company that will provide in this area now. If a couple of people in the one household use the internet then thats a cap of 5GB per month each, pretty sad for this day in age.

roast

LaVail wrote: »

Thanks for the info..The whole package seems pretty brutal tbh, hoping they pass on my info to some other company that will provide in this area now. If a couple of people in the one household use the internet then thats a cap of 5GB per month each, pretty sad for this day in age.

Indeed it is. A shame, but unfortunately for anything faster, we'll have to wait until Eircom get out of bankruptcy (yeah right!) to upgrade exchanges, and possibly deploy more, or wait for UPC to start expanding. neither of which are going to happen soon - some will have to make do with fixed wireless, mobile midband, and satellite in the meantime.

Sponge Bob

roast wrote: »

Indeed it is. A shame, but unfortunately for anything faster, we'll have to wait until Eircom get out of bankruptcy (yeah right!) to upgrade exchanges, and possibly deploy more, or wait for UPC to start expanding. neither of which are going to happen soon - some will have to make do with fixed wireless, mobile midband, and satellite in the meantime.

Exactly. eircom have the best part of 300 exchanges as yet not upgraded and that alone would cost €30m at least....never mind all the long lines and decrepitude on the network itself.

UPC are not growing their network at all, it even appears to be shrinking marginally as they find stranded network segments/wayleave issues during their upgrade program and abandon them.

donaru

William Powell wrote: »

I signed up online about a week ago and had a call from a very pleasant lady who wanted to confirm where I lived to check we were in an area covered by Rural Broadband Scheme.


The Department seems to be using a google based application and logging the EXACT location of every applicant, once the location is confirmed they are sending out letters confirming your details. As locating us is a bit tricky we exchanged a couple of emails and I confirmed the picture they were looking at was in fact our house (note to self: the house needs painting )

If either of ye are lucky then you wont get the RBS. The state of internet in this country is a joke. I've worked the last 21 years with telecoms in Asia and Central America since I graduated from the NUI and I can't believe the ineptitude that facilitates the underhand offering of contracts to companies like 3 and others here. People you are been pushed into a plank of timber by a 24Volt battery drill. Wake up, you've got teachers in the government making contract decisions or hiring consultants to do it for them.
Give me a number of some head in the department, I want to know who decided on who gets the RBS contract. In 2003 I ran high speed wifi to a rural town (850pop) in South of Chile. The Argies were doing it 2 years before me. What's the problem here in this country??? No one on the council getting their site levy for the antennas???

donaru

William Powell wrote: »

I signed up online about a week ago and had a call from a very pleasant lady who wanted to confirm where I lived to check we were in an area covered by Rural Broadband Scheme.


The Department seems to be using a google based application and logging the EXACT location of every applicant, once the location is confirmed they are sending out letters confirming your details. As locating us is a bit tricky we exchanged a couple of emails and I confirmed the picture they were looking at was in fact our house (note to self: the house needs painting )

If either of ye are lucky then you wont get the RBS. The state of internet in this country is a joke. I've worked the last 21 years with telecoms in Asia and Central America since I graduated from the NUI and I can't believe the ineptitude that facilitates the underhand offering of contracts to companies like 3 and others here. People you are been pushed into a plank of timber by a 24Volt battery drill. Wake up, you've got teachers in the government making contract decisions or hiring consultants to do it for them.
Give me a number of some head in the department, I want to know who decided on who gets the RBS contract. In 2003 I ran high speed wifi to a rural town (850pop) in South of Chile. The Argies were doing it 2 years before me. What's the problem here in this country??? No one on the council getting their site levy for the antennas???

Sponge Bob

donaru wrote: »

What's the problem here in this country???

The problem in this country is that the department of communications is full of civil servants whose who see their job as NOT to provide modern communications technology. It needs a root and branch clearout.

On top of that layer of corruption and ineptitude ...that hires consultants to 'deliver' their dysfunctional 'plans' and hold the mess at arms length....we have had two of the worst ministers in recent years presiding over the mess between 2004 and 2011, namely Messrs Ryan and Dempsey.

When the €40m Eurofraud that was the National Broadband Scheme is properly documented none of these overpaid chancers will get their comeuppance.

You could apply for the tender to supervise the delivery of the RBS which will issue late 2011 or early 2012 but if you are not prepared to lipstick the pig that is the Civil Service you will not get it...no matter how competent you are.

lukin

I am living in an area (well only at weekends actually) where NBS is teh only option open to me. I rang three about signing up for the NBS scheme and was told that it's only open under billpay.
The thing is I have a pay-as-you-go three dongle that I use occasionally and the coverage is poor. The coverage under billpay will obviously be the same as under pay as you go so I don't want to sign up for billpay on a 12 month contract without a guarantee they will improve the service.
I said this to the sales guy on the phone and he said once you sign up for it you can ring tech support and tehy wil talk you through solutions. I know this is no good nad what really needs to happen is they send out an engineer to install a booster box. However I don't think this is going to happen (I think these cost about €150; can't see three installing one of them to keep one customer happy).
Teechnically three are in breach of their contract if they refuse to give 100% coverage thoughout the country am I right?
Has anyone else had a booster box installed for them?

Edit:
I put my address into the "check your coverage" facility on the three website and it came back with:
"Congratulations! You can avail of 3 NBS broadband via one of our modem products along with the use of a device called a CPE repeater which will help to boost your signal. Once your modem order has been placed we will then contact you to arrange the installation of your repeater. Please select the button below if you wish to place an order"
I have my doubts as to whether this repeater is any good (it only costs €19) so I am thinking I would be better off staying on pay as you go and buying a more expensive repeater.

Sponge Bob

lukin wrote: »

Teechnically three are in breach of their contract if they refuse to give 100% coverage thoughout the country am I right?
Has anyone else had a booster box installed for them?

Wrong, they don't even have to cover 100% of the NBS area ( around 50% of the country by area) ...they being allowed to use satellite for 5% of NBS customers.

Plenty have had boosters installed but that just moves the problem around to those without boosters

lukin

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Wrong, they don't even have to cover 100% of the NBS area ( around 50% of the country by area) ...they being allowed to use satellite for 5% of NBS customers.

Plenty have had boosters installed but that just moves the problem around to those without boosters

Satellite is way too expensive for me. There are a load of different kinds of boosters out there, I read the sticky about them, it's very confusing. I don't want to go shelling out money for something that makes no difference to my d'load speed.

roast

lukin wrote: »

Satellite is way too expensive for me. There are a load of different kinds of boosters out there, I read the sticky about them, it's very confusing. I don't want to go shelling out money for something that makes no difference to my d'load speed.

Satellite under the NBS is the same price.

lukin

roast wrote: »

Satellite under the NBS is the same price.

There seems to be very little information on the satellite option; seems to be a 1MB line at 20 euros a month which is crap. I had skyDSL before and it was way more expensive but I had 3MB.

roast

lukin wrote: »

There seems to be very little information on the satellite option; seems to be a 1MB line at 20 euros a month which is crap. I had skyDSL before and it was way more expensive but I had 3MB.

http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Communications/Communications+Development/National+Broadband+Scheme/NBS+FAQs.htm#Product

bealtine

roast wrote: »

http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Communications/Communications+Development/National+Broadband+Scheme/NBS+FAQs.htm#Product

Except nobody polices those "specifications" and you're on your own if the service doesn't meet the specs

roast

bealtine wrote: »

Except nobody polices those "specifications" and you're on your own if the service doesn't meet the specs

Very true bealtine!
Just providing info for lukin though.

johnners2981

Received a letter a couple of days ago, at least they're not using satellite for the rural broadband scheme, well not in phase 2 anyway