UPC Broadband in Tullamore

Shane-KornSpace

Hey,
So I was checking the availability of UPC Fibre powered Broadband for Tullamore and there is none at all.
If enough of us can get in contact with some TD's or whomever from around Tullamore, we can get them to rally for us finally have this service.

Does anybody know who I should contact? I'm only new to Tullamore. Moved down from Dublin. I have UPC tv. So it shouldn't be hard for UPC to bring their service here.

elexes

there is very little interest in computers in the midlands. id say your going to be fighting a lost cause. Usually we would end up getting services after portlaoise magnet are over there i think and they could be the best bet to petition to move into tullamore

but molly buckly might listen to what you have to say.

Quazzie

AFAIK the fibre powered broadband is following the National road networks. Due to Tullamore's close proximity to the M6 it might not be as far off as first expected. If you are starting a campaign with intentions of lobbying the politicians I'd include the benefits of fibre powered broadband to multinational companies, and how it benefits all companies who are involved in the smart economy. They seem to be the Buzzwords that will get the politicians off their holes. Anything that can be seen to created job creation will be listened to that bit more.

channelsurfer2

i remember this issue came up a few years ago when it was first advertised by UPC.
tullamore still has cable from the 1980's and not a sign of it been upgraded..hence the abundance of mmds aerials all over the town instead of good quality fibre cable.
i also recall when all the estates were built on the collins lane side Flanagans offered to cable them all but UPC said they werent interested.
its the same in newbridge, a few thousand houses outside the town centre all with mmds while the old CMI cable area has the upgrade.
UPC only do things by half and dont bother doing things correctly.

poolboy

elexes wrote: »

there is very little interest in computers in the midlands. id say your going to be fighting a lost cause. Usually we would end up getting services after portlaoise magnet are over there i think and they could be the best bet to petition to move into tullamore

but molly buckly might listen to what you have to say.

Well thats about the most ridiculous thing ive read in a long time

Shane-KornSpace

Since I'm new to Tullamore, could anybody pm me the details I need to get in contact with the local politicians? the more people to do this, the better.
I, myself am a big Xbox Live player and UPC, from my experience, is by far the most reliable connection for the xbox live service. And their are ALOT of people from the Midlands who also play. Even more who would play if the connection was available to them.

wahrewohla

Avoid UPC if your sanity is kind for you! It's connection drops out in eyery 10-15 minutes, no matter what time of the day, what part of the country. Investigate, find other solution

poolboy wrote: »

Well thats about the most ridiculous thing ive read in a long time

I think there is very little interest in computers in Ireland! XD

For Forks Sake

Shane-KornSpace wrote: »

Hey,
So I was checking the availability of UPC Fibre powered Broadband for Tullamore and there is none at all.
If enough of us can get in contact with some TD's or whomever from around Tullamore, we can get them to rally for us finally have this service.

Yep, TD's have nothing else to be concerning themselves with at the moment other than whether a private business has decided not to provide its services to one town. Just as well there's nothing else going on in the country.

Quazzie

For Forks Sake wrote: »

Yep, TD's have nothing else to be concerning themselves with at the moment other than whether a private business has decided not to provide its services to one town. Just as well there's nothing else going on in the country.

Do you not think that Local politicians would be interested in lobbying for a service which would be required for any large company to see Tullamore as a potential base?

For Forks Sake

Quazzie wrote: »

Do you not think that Local politicians would be interested in lobbying for a service which would be required for any large company to see Tullamore as a potential base?

Local representatives, yes, that's their job. OP specifically mentioned TDs.

Dewdropdeb

elexes wrote: »

there is very little interest in computers in the midlands.

This made me giggle. The looks I've gotten out here when I've asked if I could email people would absolutely confirm said statement. The interest in technology and sound business practice in general is worrisome. Case and point - look how many signs, business cards, websites etc still have the old 0507 phone numbers listed. It's been what - 4 years? More?

The neighbour was recently bragging about buying an iPad, I asked how he would use it with no internet and he literally had no idea what I was on about.

Edit to add: Also interested in UPC, but mainly from a cost perspective. The TV/Broadband/Phone deal is brilliant and no one else can match it cost wise.

eggy81

Dewdropdeb wrote: »

elexes wrote: »

there is very little interest in computers in the midlands.

This made me giggle. The looks I've gotten out here when I've asked if I could email people would absolutely confirm said statement. The interest in technology and sound business practice in general is worrisome. Case and point - look how many signs, business cards, websites etc still have the old 0507 phone numbers listed. It's been what - 4 years? More?

The neighbour was recently bragging about buying an iPad, I asked how he would use it with no internet and he literally had no idea what I was on about.

Edit to add: Also interested in UPC, but mainly from a cost perspective. The TV/Broadband/Phone deal is brilliant and no one else can match it cost wise.

Vodafone home broadband or eircom works perfectly well for x box or psn.Dunno why you think you need upc,though the speeds offered would be handy for downloading.as far as I know eircom are in the process of upgrading their system to fibre now so far more likley that that's how it will get to Tullamore.
Edit: replied to wrong post.sorry.meant for op.

Shane-KornSpace

I've been sending on the following email to local TD's regarding this:

I am emailing you regarding my concerns about Offaly (Tullamore in particular) and the clearly poor usage of todays' latest information technology.
As I am sure you are aware, Tullamore was designated a 'gateway' town in late 2003 by the Irish Government, making it eligible for increased infrastructural investment. But what about the development of our IT Infrastructure?
When you do a quick google search, you will find that many of the local companies in this area are still displayed alongside the old telephone area code, meaning if any of the locally owned business are indeed online, there's a very small percentage of them actually utilising this powerful tool.

There are well over 30 restaurants around the Tullamore area and yet approximately 95% of these businesses are not online. If you visit www.just-eat.ie, you will find that there is only one of these restaurants actually using this very popular website. Companies like Supermacs/Papa Johns, KFC, McDonalds, Apache Pizza etc. are all online. You can go to their websites, see their menu and in some cases, one can place an order via said company's website.

I moved to Tullamore from Dublin six months ago and frankly, I was appalled by the lack of IT usage in the area. I wanted to find a local shop that would blow up a photo and frame it. I wanted to look up the companies around the town and compare prices. I could not do this as I could not find the information I needed. In order to get the details I required, I was forced to log on to the very popular Boards.ie and ask the site users for recommendations.

It is the locally run businesses around Tullamore that will suffer - if that has not already happened, due to them being left behind. If I want to find a high street clothing company (for example) in Tullamore, I do a will Google search. 9/10 times I do such a search, I am presented with the chain of companies like Vera Moda, Jack and Jones etc. I am not going to be presented with a company that is run by a Tullamore local.
Is this because (to be blunt) the older generation are out of touch with the latest technology? Is it because they are afraid of change? Perhaps.
These people need to be informed that the Internet is a fantastic tool and it is their friend, not their enemy. The Internet offers free advertising (Facebook, Just-Eat.ie, MenuPages.ie etc.) , ranging up to a desired price limit.

Another reason for this lack of innovation, is due to the lack of a cost effective IT Infrastructure in Tullamore. This is where the local TD's come in to play. With the backing of the local TD's, Tullamore can quickly become a thriving community with the help of our friend, the Internet. The reason I have chosen UPC's broadband service, is because I have experience. I have used Eircom, Magnet, Meteor, UPC and Irish Broadband. When it comes down to the price, UPC has the least expensive broadband service, alongside the fastest service.
With the help of our local TD's, we can bring this service to Tullamore and help the local businesses avail of this fantastic tool. Everybody benefits. The local businesses will be up and running online within this Age of Information. It is where they need to be.
With the expansion of UPC throughout the country, they will be providing more jobs. When UPC are installing their TV service to your home, they use local technicians, which means more work for them. The more customers, the more jobs.

Please consider calling on UPC and the local community to avail of the business. The Internet is their friend, not their enemy.

Kindest Regards,

ghosttown

Send it to the local Chamber of Commerce as well (if they're online that is :-))

Shane-KornSpace

Thank you for that.

We are trying to address the vacuum of use of internet retail by businesses in Offaly. We are currently researching the potential of having free wi-fi available in the town and we have also established an online directory (in association with YourLocal.ie) which can be found here
We hope this is assisting people find local businesses in the area and we were the first County to establish the initiative.

I will raise your correspondence with our newly formed economic development committee for consideration and I will also forward the email to our enterprise board.

Regards
David Minton

Economic Development Officer
Offaly County Council
Charleville Road
Tullamore

Offaly

Shane,

Many thanks for the points you raised with me and I will forward them to the Economic Development Unit In Offaly County Council for their consideration.

I attach a link.

This brochure will give you some indication of what is happening throughout the county of Offaly and briefly touches on broadband availability within the county however I will raise your points with regard to Tullamore directly with this unit.

Kind regards.
Charlie
________________________________________
Charlie Flanagan TD

Hopefully something will be done soon!

Storminateacup

Can someone explain to me what fibre broadband is

Quazzie

Storminateacup wrote: »

Can someone explain to me what fibre broadband is

I'm not 100% sure, but I can tell you what I think it is. Normal telephone wire contains copper. This transmits signals at a certain speed and is limited to the amount of signal it can send at any one time. Fibre optics can send much larger packets of information, and send them a lot quicker, so basically it means that data transfer is possible. This basically results in faster broadband, without contention.