Irish Times article

thegills

Guys,
There was an article in yesterdays Irish Times regarding the rollout of further MAN projects. It was not a press release from the DCMNR but inside info obtained by the newspaper.
Has anybody got a copy of this?
thegills

Moriarty

I've just skimmed through it and can't find any articles about the MANs. Don't suppose you know roughly where it was mentioned?

viking

There was a mention in the Indo yesterday (21/06/04) about the MANs.

Drive to speed 41 towns on to internet in time for start of decentralisation push

THE names of 41 towns set to benefit from an urgent Internet switch-on have been learned by the Irish Independent.

A new drive to bring broadband as quickly as possible to the lucky towns is seen as reflecting the Government's desire to prepare the ground for widespread decentralisation.

It will be announced in the next couple of weeks that broadband is to be fast-tracked into metropolitan areas from Sligo to Blarney, and from Newbridge to Athenry.

Cork county will be the main beneficiary, with connections provided in Carrigaline, Cobh, Kinsale, Mitchelstown, Blarney, Midleton, Youghal, Bantry and Skibbereen.

Kenmare, Dingle, and Castleisland in Co Kerry will also be hooked up, helping to provide a comprehensive technology blanket for decentralisation.

In the west, the focus will be on e-lectrifying Athenry, Ballinasloe, Claremorris, Castlerea, Knock, Furbo and Clifden.

The border region will see connectivity granted to Carrickmacross, Castleblaney and Clones, with Bundoran and Ballybofey getting approval in Co Donegal. Longford is also earmarked, as is Tramore in the south east, and Nenagh in Co Tipperary.

Closer to the capital, towns like Skerries, Trim, Kildare, Maynooth, Donabate, Ratoath, Mountmellick, Dunshaughlin, Sallins, Kilcoole, Enniskerry, and Rathangan will all win broadband. They are seen as outlying Dublin commuter-belt.

The trunking will be provided in partnership with the local authorities in the various areas. The work will cost around €55 million and will get underway in the autumn. It is expected to take a year to complete.

This development doubles the numbers anounced in a broadband roll-out last February, when 19 towns were told they were getting high-speed Internet access.

Between this year and next over 50,000 fibre kilometres of fibre optic cable - enough to go around the earth with some left over - will be installed, providing always-on access to the world wide web.

The first rollout is underway in Cork city, where the €11 million broadband "ringroad" will serve business needs and help to win increased investment.

Minister Dermot Ahern said: "Widespread availability of affordable and always-on broadband for businesses and citizens is a priority for the Government and my department.

"Modern low-cost communication is an essential enabler of economic activity, but it also has a very practical role in our health strategy.

Hospitals in the towns will be linked, allowing them to have second opinions on medical conditions instantly.

"Effectively this tele-medicine will play an increasingly significant role in our health services."

The 19 towns already involved in the project include Waterford, Dungarvan, Wexford, Carlow, Clonmel, Kilkenny, Cork, Shannon/Limerick, Galway, Athlone, Mullingar, Carrick-on-Shannon, Manorhamilton, Gweedore, Roscommon, Portlaoise, Letterkenny, Tullamore and Ballina.

The towns now set to receive broadband superfast connection are:

Carrigaline, Cobh, Bantry, Blarney, Kinsale, Middleton, Mitchelstown, Skibbereen and Youghal in Co Cork.

Dunshaughlin, Donabate, Enniskerry, Kilcoole, Maynooth, Mountmellick, Sallins, Skerries, Kildare, Newbridge, Rataoth, Rathangan and Trim in the Dublin commuter belt. Tramore, Longford and Nenagh are also included. The beneficiaries in Kerry are Dingle, Kenmare, Castleisland. Included in the West are Athenry, Ballinasloe, Castlerea, Clifden, Knock, Claremorris, Furbo and Sligo. Further north, Ballybofey, Carrickmacross, Castleblaney, Clones, Enniskerry and Bundoran are to benefit.

Senan Molony
Political correspondent

-Also an interesting article on the Minister's own Broadband4Blackrock campaign

Eircom 'embarrassed' into providing broadband

MINISTER for Communications Dermot Ahern (left) has revealed how he "embarrassed" Eircom into providing his whole village with broadband, writes Senan Molony.

The Minister said he was unhappy that Eircom was failing to upgrade telephone exchanges to allow customers to received broadband, when they were receiving the money anyway through dial-up connections.

"I mentioned it so often in speeches that I was the Minister for Communications and yet I couldn't get broadband at home, that they eventually called me up," he told the Irish Independent.

"They said they were going to carry out the necessary work at my local exchange."

Mr Ahern lives in Blackrock, Co Louth.

He now enjoys broadband connection, whereas many parts of the country remain unable to sign up.

viking

sceptre

Nice finding viking. I couldn't find the Times article myself (checked yesterday and Saturday).

So now we all know an easy way to get BB to your home village and jump the queue. Become Minister for Communications. It really is that easy, we should all be doing it.

Some of those "emergency" towns were on the BB upgrade list anyway and hence weren't included in the trigger "programme"/apparent scam. Actually if the upgrades take a year some of them will be late as these towns (I had a short list but I can't remember where I filed it) were due by next March. Still, good news for residents who want broadband. Especially in places like Kenmare, who probably thought they'd never see it this decade.

I do wish journalists who can probably spel wel would refrain from using words like "superfast". Even if they work for Eircom's sister newspaper

Mr_Man

is the Governemt spending moeny on putting infrastructure into places which already have, or will have shortly, BB. For example Ballybofey was listed in another thread recently as almost ready to go live with BB. Surely it would make more sense to put the moeny into the many towns and villages which are suffering from the Eircom scam of trigger levels.

As a side note it looks as if we will have a new Comms minister after Bertie reshuffles the cabinet, judging by the politicking going on at the moment by Dermo regarding the PeeDees. SO if you are really desperate for BB many you could ask Bertie for the job and then start to embarass Eircom into upgrading your exchange for god knoes it takes a lot to embarass that shower.


M.

spongebob

Originally posted by sceptre
Some of those "emergency" towns were on the BB upgrade list anyway [/SIZE]

These are MAn and CBDE projects from what I can see. Most are on the list of 80 odd towns of 1500 or more announced by Dermot Ahern in December but others have made it onto a supplementary register such as Furbo in Galway.

It appears that these towns will be phase one of the 80 odd (+ a few extra) MAN/CBE project which is not due to complete until 2007 may I point out again.

M

sceptre

Originally posted by Muck
These are MAn and CBDE projects from what I can see.

Aha, of course. Better. Thanks.

not due to complete until 2007 may I point out again.

Aha, of course. Worse[1]. Thanks.


[1]Or "Better later"

Raskolnikov

I'm in one of the areas where they're extending the MAN to. Will the government be acting as ISP or will it lease the connection out to other ISP's who'll do the work of actually connecting homes to the MAN? Or am I off the mark completely with the government planning on just letting this MAN rot in the ground? What's the point of this MAN, will it provide interconnection between government offices/departments?

Gonzo

cant believe dunshaughlin and ratoath are on that list:D, but what does that mean to me? how fast wud it be and wud it be available to the ordinary household etc.

Urban Weigl

Knock!? That place has less than 100 households I believe... And they have an international airport too.

spongebob

Its Knock Airport so the MAN is probably going into Kilkelly and not Knock itself some 4 miles south of Kilkelly.

M

thegills

This is getting out of hand. First there was 19 towns followed by a list of 88 'Phase II' towns. Then the 88 became 95 (6 in Dermots backyard + Sligo). Now we have new additions like Furbo, Clifden, Knock. When will it end!!

SkepticOne

Originally posted by thegills
This is getting out of hand. First there was 19 towns followed by a list of 88 'Phase II' towns. Then the 88 became 95 (6 in Dermots backyard + Sligo). Now we have new additions like Furbo, Clifden, Knock. When will it end!!

There was originally 123 towns in the fibre ring project in Three phases. Then it was cut back to 19.

Gonzo

we in Dunshaughlin have dsl and wireless broadband already and from this article it says we are gonna have this new sort of broadband MAN also within the next year. Im still not clear what is broadband MAN tho and is it of any use to the residential customer? Is it fibre optic broadband where other telcos like smart telecom and esat come to set their own network up and offer their phone/internet services to a surrounding town and area giving ppl the choice to dump eircom altogether?

oscarBravo

Originally posted by Urban Weigl
Knock!? That place has less than 100 households I believe... And they have an international airport too.

And a basilica. Never forget the basilica.

Mmmmm, steeple/mast... *drool*

shinzon

Crikey talk about spin doctoring, good on ye dermo ye still got it, one bit of one part of the 19 towns that already have the mans is lit atm, the rest is just rotting in the ground until someone has the balls to start manageing it and selling it to whoever or what ever

Nothing to get excited about here, move along

Shin

pork99

Originally posted by viking


-Also an interesting article on the Minister's own Broadband4Blackrock campaign

viking

The solution is obvious: simply have a cabinet minister living in every neighbourhood. Then eircom will be embarassed into doing something all over the country. Problem solved!

monument

Originally posted by Muck
which is not due to complete until 2007 may I point out again.

So, any idea of when they'll be connected to houses etc, and of pricing, operator(s), and generally how it’ll all be operated? [THANKS!]

Cryos

Closer to the capital, towns like Skerries, Trim, Kildare, Maynooth, Donabate, Ratoath, Mountmellick, Dunshaughlin, Sallins, Kilcoole, Enniskerry, and Rathangan will all win broadband. They are seen as outlying Dublin commuter-belt

Score!!! Broadband For kilcoole

2007 tho by then wireless bb will be in kilcoole !! *boo erns*

Mr_Man

I thoguht it was mentioned on one of the recent threads that Kilcoole is already BB enabled, but that Eircom were onlying selling it to businesses.

M.

Cryos

yup i think i posted that.

They are only selling adsl to business in kilcoole industrial estate which is not linked upto the residential exchanges apparnetly