Another poll promise or broadband on demand?
As an election promise, it could work for Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte, or backfire on him.
He has denied the announcement of the Government’s commitment to a telecommunications build-out to rural Ireland was a pre-election ploy ahead of European Parliament and local elections later this month.
But why announce it now, when he admitted it will be later this year before he can publish a comprehensive implementation strategy?
Then again, it is hardly cause for boasting — and gaining votes — that broadband, which he said is the key infrastructure of the 21st century, won’t be commercially available at high speeds in much of rural Ireland until 16 years into the century.
It is 11 years since a Fianna Fáil minister launched plans to provide high-speed internet access to every school in the country. So, as a vote-getting exercise, broadband announcements may be well played out by now.
Mr Rabbitte said the broadband power will meet “the needs of a chief executive of a large multinational living in the beautiful hills of West Cork [so] that he can do his business with his own office in the United States, or somebody watching Netflix in Ballydehob”.
It was a dream of the 1990s to run a global business from any location in rural Ireland with a computer and internet connection. But a lack of high-speed broadband has put paid to that for many.
For those still doubting if it will be a reality before 2020, there is some encouragement in Mr Rabbitte’s latest revelations.
He says the Government’s task to ensure that rural and urban Ireland enjoy similar telecommunications opportunities has been reduced 30% by commercial providers’ investments in roll-out of high speed services. They have invested, or committed to invest, over €2 billion in their Irish networks.
Eircom’s fibre-optic cabling network, already available to over 800,000 addresses, is planned to reach 1.4 million addresses by 2016.
UPC has invested over €500m in upgrading its cable network.
ESB is allowing a fibre network on its existing electricity infrastructure, with initial plans to reach 450,000 premises outside of Dublin.
Mobile operators have launched 4G high speed mobile broadband services, and investment has continued in high-speed point-to-point wireless broadband.
The broadcaster, Sky, has also entered the broadband market.
But many rural areas have still been left out, because they do not have fibre networks, and population densities are small.
What the Government has now committed to is a fibre build-out to deliver high speed broadband to rural areas, where over 1,000 communities have already been identified as target areas, according to Mr Rabbitte.
It is envisaged that telecommunications operators will be able to offer multiple services off the government-supported new rural fibre network, including fixed wireless, copper-based and mobile services, as well as direct fibre connections.
The fibre build-out is earmarked for locations in every county identified as having no existing or planned enabling fibre network.
Work under- and overground on the special cabling is to get under way at the end of next year.
The telecommunications build-up in rural areas could cost about €355m, in order to give 900,000 homes and premises access to high-speed connectivity.
