nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

NBP: National Broadband Plan Announced

ED E

They've published!

The government has published a new map outlining in detail 700,000 rural homes and businesses which will be connected to state-subsidised broadband of at least 30 megabits per second (Mbs) from 2016.

http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/news/revealed-700000-homes-and-businesses-to-get-subsidised-fast-broadband-in-new-plan-30769126.html

Edit: Video

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

tsue921i8wljb3

fritzelly wrote: »

Reasons for everyone else dropping out start coming out when the minister is in cahoots with one of the bidders and gets found out.

The Minister also met with the new owners of eir shortly after their takeover. I think it's unfair to say he is in cahoots with any bidder.

ED E

Pique wrote: »

Oh FFS. This is going to unravel, isn't it.

It should. Measure twice, cut once.

KOR101

https://www.thepropertypin.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=67589&sid=3081cca8617efbb7dda10f95992b6269

fritzelly

Reasons for everyone else dropping out start coming out when the minister is in cahoots with one of the bidders and gets found out.

tsue921i8wljb3

KOR101 wrote: »

And to think they only added all the names of the sub-contractors to make it seem more like a consortium and more like the original ENet one. Just a error of judgement to announce Actavo. They could have been used later with no announcement.

“Here We Are Again”

https://www.broadsheet.ie/2018/10/03/here-we-are-again/

Terrible misjudgment on their part if that is the case. They should have known the Pavlovian response that the mere mention of DOB elicits in some people.

KOR101

And to think they only added all the names of the sub-contractors to make it seem more like a consortium and more like the original ENet one. Just a error of judgement to announce Actavo. They could have been used later with no announcement.

“Here We Are Again”

https://www.broadsheet.ie/2018/10/03/here-we-are-again/

KOR101

Siena Gigantic Backyard wrote: »

This seems slightly out of left field.

https://twitter.com/peterodwyer1/status/1047138972844085251

I did wonder about that, but just assumed they gave up on the ESB because of their stonewalling.

The Govt is really breaking their back to make this happen.

tsue921i8wljb3

This seems slightly out of left field.

https://twitter.com/peterodwyer1/status/1047138972844085251

9726_9726

KOR101 wrote: »

The communications minister said yesterday that he attended a meeting with David McCourt

Uh oh!

KOR101

Leo yesterday in the Dail.

I am confident that the process has been robust. The Deputy is correct to draw attention to this. It is important we get this right because it is an enormous investment that will run for 25 to 30 years. There is the expression, act in haste and repent at leisure. We need to ensure this process is robust. We are confident it is. It is new and unprecedented. That is what makes it different from other contracts. It has not been done before, even by other countries. That in itself brings about an inherent risk. That is not a good enough reason, however, not to do it.

The remaining bidder in the national broadband plan put in its final tender to the Department on Tuesday, 19 September. Over the coming weeks, the Department’s procurement team will evaluate the submission. The Minister looks forward to receiving the output from that particular evaluation. As I mentioned, it is unique in terms of its level of ambition and vision. The focus is to ensure that a future-proofed technical solution will allow this and future generations to participate fully in digital society.

KOR101

The alternative is to go back to the drawing board and have a tender that doesn't scare off the likes of EIR, SIRO, SSE and John Laing. But that just adds years to the wait, and more or less the same subcontractors were going to be doing the work anyway no matter who won the tender.

Johnboy1951

Pique wrote: »

Oh FFS. This is going to unravel, isn't it.

Either that or it will go ahead and let the questions be answered afterwards - as is the 'Irish way' apparently.

Pique

Oh FFS. This is going to unravel, isn't it.

KOR101

The communications minister said yesterday that he attended a meeting with David McCourt, head of the private investment firm Granahan McCourt, who told him that the British company SSE may withdraw from the process.

Mr Naughten told the Oireachtas communications committee yesterday: “Mr McCourt made the point at that discussion that there may be a request put into the Department [of Communications] for an evaluation in relation to a change to the consortium, but that’s not a matter for me. I would have no direct input or role in relation to that and that was a matter for the procurement process.”

Timmy Dooley, Fianna Fáil communications spokesman, described the meeting as bizarre and questioned why the minister would meet a bidder if he had no role in the procurement process.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/naughten-must-explain-meeting-with-bidder-9p26hh3fv?t=iel

Ultimanemo

ED E wrote: »

And no for some light relief:

For us, more likely it will be fibre to the grave

tsue921i8wljb3

KOR101 wrote: »

A ‘Robust’ Tendering Process

https://www.broadsheet.ie/2018/10/02/a-robust-tendering-process/

The comments on that article are "interesting". Ireland doesn't own it's own satellites being the stand out effort.

KOR101

A ‘Robust’ Tendering Process

https://www.broadsheet.ie/2018/10/02/a-robust-tendering-process/

ED E

And no for some light relief:

9726_9726

roddy15 wrote: »

Providers, it's worth pointing out who have had years to up their game.

The Department/Comreg have done all they can to kill regional providers, rather than supporting them. Instead, they wish to centralise power in some tax/vulture-funded central, controllable authority and look after the boys as if it were the 80s all over again.

Indigenous regional providers have to use 5GHz spectrum primarily, which makes it very difficult progress. The state makes ZERO practical PTMP spectrum available for residential services provided by regional providers. The 3.xGHz scheme was withdrawn and auctioned at the highest possible price to big telcos leaving nothing for regional players, who desperately want to move forward and provide kick-ass services to secure local connectivity, employment and their own businesses.

A common misconception in the public is that regional providers (usually WISPs) are "tight" with bandwidth. IP Transit (wholesale bandwidth) is really cheap nowadays. Forward-looking regional providers WANT to provide as much as possible, but are constrained by backhaul duopolies and having ZERO spectrum to work with.

Shame on the State for holding back countless forward-looking entrepreneurs from solving this problem.

9726_9726

fritzelly wrote: »

And in 20 years time we have a tribunal questioning the awarding of a contract, giving away millions of euros and nothing to show for it except infrastructure owned by an American company...

It's the same as giving away Telecom Eireann's network, all over again. No lessons learned.

9726_9726

Siena Gigantic Backyard wrote: »

Interesting piece about an Aran Island company that went with Viatel to provide a point to point link for connectivity after becoming frustrated waiting for the NBP.

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/aran-broadband-viatal-100mbps-inismeain-knitting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh8g4EPTpWc

Nice case study. This would be available over 90% of the country from many providers.

Costs would not be feasible for residential though, at around a couple of grand install and €7K - €10K per annum.

Certainly a good option instead of moving a whole business.

ED E

Siena Gigantic Backyard wrote: »

Interesting piece about an Aran Island company ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

You meant:

tsue921i8wljb3

Interesting piece about an Aran Island company that went with Viatel to provide a point to point link for connectivity after becoming frustrated waiting for the NBP.

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/aran-broadband-viatal-100mbps-inismeain-knitting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh8g4EPTpWc

tsue921i8wljb3

Denis Naughten and Seán Kyne are due before the Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment Committee at 2.30pm today to answer questions about the NBP and also somewhat bizarrely about spending too little.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/ministers-grilled-over-broadband-underspend-37375196.html

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/communications-panelto-probe-broadband-bid-872804.html

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/32/communications-climate-action-and-environment/

Marlow

roddy15 wrote: »

Providers, it's worth pointing out who have had years to up their game.

Some providers have. Some providers have not. Also, it's very expensive to bring that sort of bandwidth into rural areas. It's hard for some of these providers to up their game, when the backbone infrastructure nor the access infrastructure accomodate that increase.

Imagine is a good example: if they had the backbone capacity and stopped oversubscribing their sectors to hell, they'd be a worthy contender.

But as long as they don't delivery quality opposed to quantity .... it won't help.

/M

[Deleted User]

Marlow wrote: »

There are already providers in these intervention areas. And there is nothing to stop them from upping their game and provide a service that's well beyond what the NBP tries to archive.

So, yes .. the only thing the NBP tries to archive is a minimum level of service in the intervention area. It does not create a monopoly nor any other provider from covering these areas.

/M

Providers, it's worth pointing out who have had years to up their game.

Johnboy1951

fritzelly wrote: »

And in 20 years time we have a tribunal questioning the awarding of a contract, giving away millions of euros and nothing to show for it except infrastructure owned by an American company...

Not if it is in state ownership as I posted.

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

So that is a plan ....... let the commercial operator/s move along into the NBP area, reducing number of premises remaining, and then roll out a NBP over a much reduced area.
Maybe the NBP infrastructure could be kept in state ownership in such circumstances.

It could work to the benefit of the taxpayer I suppose.

Marlow

9726_9726 wrote: »

there is nothing stopping any commercial operator providing service inside or outside intervention areas. At least a provider could then get on with things, operate with decent margins and own their own network.

There are already providers in these intervention areas. And there is nothing to stop them from upping their game and provide a service that's well beyond what the NBP tries to archive.

So, yes .. the only thing the NBP tries to archive is a minimum level of service in the intervention area. It does not create a monopoly nor any other provider from covering these areas.

/M

fritzelly

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

That of course is unanswerable until done.

And in 20 years time we have a tribunal questioning the awarding of a contract, giving away millions of euros and nothing to show for it except infrastructure owned by an American company...

Johnboy1951

Siena Gigantic Backyard wrote: »

How many more years is that going to add to the saga?

That of course is unanswerable until done.