The REGISTER : Ireland sets three year target for cheap broadband

tribble

Ireland's Minister for Communications, Dermot Ahern, has set a deadline for affordable broadband in the country.

"The government wants to see the widespread availability of open-access, affordable, 'always on' broadband infrastructure and services for businesses and citizens throughout the state within three years," the direction says.

The document also includes a provision that is designed to ensure "the widespread availability" of flat-rate dial-up Internet access. "The commission shall make use of its powers under the legislation as appropriate, to bring about agreements among market players for the provision to the public of dial-up Internet access charged at flat-rates," the direction said. This strongly worded aim had been widely expected from the Minister.

But the country's most damning figure is high speed Internet, where Ireland ranks 27th out of 30 OECD countries in terms of broadband development.


FULL VERSION HERE

b

Xterminator

"The government wants to see the widespread availability of open-access, affordable, 'always on' broadband infrastructure and services for businesses and citizens throughout the state within three years,"

This is in addition to askjijng for almost immediate Friaco.
Thats nationwide within 3 years.

Why would you knock such a statement?
What would you consider realistic?

If the government sets a planned deadline to have affordable broadband nationwide [then this forces some meaningful action from the Telco(s).
If govt set an unrealistic deadline for nationwide distribution, Eircon could do nothing and use the unrealistic deadline as justification.. but now eircon and co. will find that if they only enable 1 exchange per couple of months, that they will not meet the deadline.
Do you think that they would have enabled all (especially more rural) exchanges within a reasonable time? No Way!
They would have trotted out the usual 'not Enough Demand' excuses.
Also the statement addresses the inaffordability of the current packages to home users!

I think its a massive step in the right direction.

Well done Dermot Ahern! Now just make sure the c**ts do what youve told them to do!

Phil

Fallschirmjager

talk...we have a regulator that doesnt regulate..a telco that doesnt believe in communications...a communications minsiter thats involved with fish....

please which part is right...its just talk -- yet another 3 yrs wait and as i have said a million times before the only reason he is doing this is cos the EU are dictating open web enabled government by 2005...

do the maths yourself


what is driving this is the EU -- not anything local...

also why a magical 3 years -- would it be something to do with an election perchance....why does he not get the rules out now. i dont understand why we have to wait.

zynaps

Sounds to me like another excuse to procrastinate and ignore the problem for now.

How many times have we heard things like that before Remember the fibre ring?

And why would we want to wait 3 years for friaco, when things are already moving to push for it now?
3 years just to sort out eircom? No thanks. They need sorting out now :P
Besides, the commission's directive is already incoming anyway...

zynaps

pork99

This three-year target is roughly in line with the plan that the government published in April in its second Action Plan on the Information Society. That document, called "New Connections," also called for affordable broadband in three years, although it was published over six months ago.

OK so we're six months into this 3 year period? not looking good if thats the case, looks like too little too late yet again

JimHacker

There seems to be a lot of very confused people on this one.

The 3 years is NOT FRIACO. ComReg have ONE MONTH to report on FRIACO - not 3 years.

The 3 years is a reference to New Connections - it for 5MB/Sec connections for domestic users nationawide in 3 years.

Its NOT DSL - its NOR FRIACO.

Strikes me that soime people on here just want to diss anyone who wants to advance the FRIACO/Information Society agenda. Its TOO easy to sit back slagging off every effort. Get a Life people,

iwb

I have to agree with JimHacker. I read a lot of these threads and while I find them useful, I also find the comments to be quite negative often. I haven't been involved for as long as some of you guys so maybe you are fed up with lack of action but a little positive thinking wouldn't go astray from time to time.

Dustaz

Well said Jim.

iwb, its not just you. Ive been on this forum since its inception and have been waiting for friaco/broadband for a lot longer, and i still find some of the comments tiresome. Negativity is ok as long as it is realistic, pointless ranting is not. Fallsmirger, take note please

gurramok

Well Dell adverts in the papers are now advertising their pc's as 'broadband ready' !!
Surely Dell are a bit jumping the gun seen that the minister has set a deadline of 3 yrs for widespread affordable broadband ?

iwb

If Dell were to partner with EsatBT or Eircom, they could sell a PC with some special offer or other to get people to sign up. Most likely it would be with EsatBTs 60 Euro service when it arrives. That would really help get broadband out there.
Something like;
buy a Dell PC and get a free ADSL modem installed, cheaper or free connection to the service and the first month free.
Of course you would need to be sure you are in an eligible area and the line qualifies also.

ednwireland

Dells Pc's have a network card which seesm to be acceptable to claim that a pc is DSL ready (see lidl advert as well). Also i know BT's home offering has a USB modem so if your pc has a usb port it is broadband ready ?
usual marketing bo****ks until we've got competition across the country (i live in donegal and dont expect to see competition in 3 years well not viable anyway probably not even DSL) most people i know are assessing satellite for home broadband use cos they know they will never get anything else (and trying to get the money together for installation)

iwb

I accept that many people won't be able to avail of ADSL for quite some time and a few won't ever be eligible unfortunately but a Dell/Telco partnership would help to get it out there to the people who are eligible.
It might make sense to set up an IrishWAN cell where you live with many people sharing a satellite connection until something terrestrial becomes available.

Fallschirmjager

so let me get this stright, we can comment on these boards so long as we agree with you....interesting

LoBo

fallschirmjager: you can comment on these boards as you see fit. But when you continually - CONTINUALLY - rant at every opportunity, sometimes using CAPS all over the place, multiple exclamation marks(!!!1), and usually bring nothing new to the discussion - then most people, myself included, get annoyed when you .. yet again.. post a pointless rant.

I could search and post up a few threads you ranted in, but I couldn't be bothered.

[edit: your latest post isn't really a super rant to the degree of some in the last couple months, its just quite negative and doesn't bring anything to the discussion. The fact I had to carefully read over it to notice it wasn't your usual uber-rant speaks for itself though - who's going to read anything you post when its usually RANT-SPIK?]

sceptre

Originally posted by Fallschirmjager
so let me get this stright, we can comment on these boards so long as we agree with you....interesting

(before this develops into something)

That's certainly not the way it works - you know that.

pork99

Its TOO easy to sit back slagging off every effort.

well given the track records of Fianna Fail governments, the ODTR and Eircom, I'm pessimistic about much progress being made.

I'll be very happy if I'm proven wrong, I fact I very much hope that will be the case.

ColinM

I alternate between being optimistic and pessimistic about the chances of affordable broadband being made widely available in the near future.
On the face of it, things don't appear to have changed - I'm still using dial-up at home - but I think things are moving in the right direction all the same. Maybe the minister is serious about getting something done about broadband, and maybe the new regulatory body will play a more forceful role than Etain did. Also, it's good to see that this forum has had such a positive effect on several journalists, and getting them on side helps get the message to so many more people.
Who knows, maybe the "campaign" has reached critical mass and things may start to move faster now. Perhaps at least unmetered dial-up will be available very soon.

Moriarty

Originally posted by pork99
well given the track records of Fianna Fail governments, the ODTR and Eircom, I'm pessimistic about much progress being made.

I'll be very happy if I'm proven wrong, I fact I very much hope that will be the case.

Thats the great thing about being a pesimist, isnt it?

Your either 'Right as usual' or 'Pleasantly surprised' ...

pork99

Your either 'Right as usual' or 'Pleasantly surprised' ...

well I have found that the old cliche "hope for the best, be prepared for the worst" is generally a good attitude to have