InBus_Win09_1-55:InBusiness 1-61 11/12/2009 16:19 Page 44
What are we
waiting for?
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In the last year, the Government has come under fire for many decisions. Yet one area of contention
that comes in for stinging criticism is a national rollout of broadband, writes Nicole Matthews.
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DESPITE THE ANNOUNCEMENT of plans for broadband. The ESRI’s mid-term review 30 in terms of penetration per capita in Europe.
the nationwide rollout of broadband access by the estimated that by 2025, three-quarters of a One issue is that our ranking can be found
end of 2010, Ireland is still lagging behind its million people would be working in business alongside developing countries but a greater
European counterparts in terms of broadband and financial services. By that time, some 70 per issue is where things are going to go in the next
penetration and speed. There are approximately cent of exports from the Irish economy will be ten years,” says John Howard, senior consultant
1.25 million people in Ireland using broadband market-traded services, all of which are going to at Norcontel.
with roughly one third of them using mobile be digitally operated. “It is an indication of how “Most of Europe and North America are
broadband where the level of access is still at the this is going to have an increasingly important going to move to a very advanced broadband
lower end of the scale comparably. role in our economy,” according to Minister service capable of carrying high definition TV
Countries that top international tables in Ryan at a recent press conference. and high speed broadband connections. There
broadband infrastructure, access and penetration We have had some developments in the last is a danger that Ireland could lag behind and
include Finland, Sweden, Canada and the year but Ireland is still definitely behind the EU something needs to be done about this. In a
Netherlands. They do so because of their strong average, says Clare Cunningham, Chair of the past submission, we called on the Government
IT infrastructure and technological R&D. Ireland is Chambers Ireland Digital Policy Council. to enhance the coordination of the existing
a long way off matching them it seems. “We have had the National Broadband Scheme broadband infrastructure around the country,
However, there have undoubtedly been which has started to roll out but the level of which is currently owned by companies such as
improvements in the last year and broadband provision that it offers that will be the next ESB and Bord Gáis. All of these state companies
subscriptions in Ireland now total 1.3 million, question. It is still at a very basic level,” she says. have some infrastructure but it’s not
with almost 90 per cent of businesses and more “However, it has started in rural areas. Then there coordinated. There was some work done on the
than 60 per cent of homes connected to a high- was the announcement from Imagine on the metropolitan area network project to encourage
speed internet service. On top of that, there Wimax rollout with a capacity – according to the local authorities to put in fibre when they
have been a number of new initiatives which them – of 8MB+, which is more along the lines of were building roads, but it didn’t get off the
were launched this year which aim to boost what we would hope to see as a standard
access to broadband. broadband connection. From a Chambers
The first of these is the €223m National perspective, next generation networks are our
Broadband Scheme, which aims to provide main aim and we need to get fibre to homes and
broadband services to the 10 per cent of the businesses. Realistically though it’s only going to
country where it is currently not available. be in the major urban areas where there is a cost
Following a competitive tender, mobile phone return value.”
operator 3 Ireland won the contract and says
that the rollout of the high-speed services will INFRASTRUCTURE OVERHAUL
be complete by the third quarter of 2010. In While piecemeal changes are welcome, many in
addition, plans to provide 100MB broadband the industry want to see an overhaul of the
access to secondary schools on a phased basis is existing infrastructure starting with an in-depth
underway and it is believed that most of the analysis of Ireland’s broadband capabilities and
schools’ tender has been completed. an audit of the existing broadband
Not only is it vitally important to provide infrastructure already in place.
broadband access nationally in line with the rest “There has not been any detailed studies
of Western Europe, but there is an economic carried out with regard to Ireland’s broadband
Claire Cunningham, Chair of the Chambers
imperative of improving Ireland’s high-quality capabilities, but I think we are about 21st out of Ireland Digital Policy Council.
44 InBusiness Winter 09
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