[?Dumb?] Questions about eircom FWA Broadband

De Rebel

I came across this http://www.eircom.ie/bveircom/pdf/fixed_wireless.pdf on eircom's website today, and am a bit curious about it.

Can anybody tell me a bit more about it? Pros/Cons?
Apart from the stiff installation price and sluggish upload, where is the downside?
Realistically, from a performance perspective, would this be a lot different to the starter RADSL package?
Where are the 63 locations?
Why aren't eircom touting it a bit more?
Would it make sense to throw out the landline and the RADSL and get this instead. No cap and a lower monthly rental (FWA vs RADSL+line rental).

Any other thoughts.

And please don't be too shrill when making me look stupid, the questions are asked in good faith

bminish

De Rebel wrote:

I came across this
Where are the 63 locations?

it's available from the Eircom mast in Castlebar.

Why aren't eircom touting it a bit more?

Coz it's based on their airspan kit and it's not cost effective to operate ?

Would it make sense to throw out the landline and the RADSL and get this instead. No cap and a lower monthly rental (FWA vs RADSL+line rental).

with a landline you have (in theory) a choice of providers, go with this lame duck you can only choose eircom.
.Brendan

thegills

This was discussed b4. You need to speak with Pamela Pounch in eircom - ppounch@eircom.ie

oscarBravo

De Rebel wrote:

Can anybody tell me a bit more about it? Pros/Cons?
Apart from the stiff installation price and sluggish upload, where is the downside?

FWA isn't as universally available as they would have you believe. I have FWA ISDN as you know, and a number of my neighbours have FWA PSTN. That said, a neighbour who lives half a mile closer to the mast can't get a signal because of terrain, and another neighbour who lives about 6.5 miles from the mast has very patchy performance on his FWA PSTN connection.

IOW, it suffers from distance limitations and not everyone within the distance can avail of it. Sound familiar?

De Rebel wrote:

Where are the 63 locations?

Ballina is one also.

De Rebel wrote:

Why aren't eircom touting it a bit more?

It uses scarce resources (ref. bminish's Airspan comment) and, of course, undermines dial-up revenue.

De Rebel wrote:

Would it make sense to throw out the landline and the RADSL and get this instead. No cap and a lower monthly rental (FWA vs RADSL+line rental).

Are you sure you don't have to pay line rental as well?

The other concern I have is this:

• Recommended operating system Microsoft Windows or Macintosh

Sounds like a nasty USB solution.

viking

I enquired about this:

Dear Mr Viking,

Thank you for your broadband query.

There are two products that we can offer to our customers since April 2004 which uses Radio and Satellite technology. Satellite is 100% coverage nationwide. FWA Packet does require line of sight to our base stations and to establish possible line of sight through a desk survey we require a telephone number.

Please revert back with your telephone number and we will complete the desk top survey on your line for the FWA packet.

Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards & thanks,
Eircom

followed by:

Dear Mr Viking,

We have completed a desk top survey on you line for FWA packet. Unfortunately the number, 044-xxxxx does not qualify for FWA packet.

However Satellite is 100% coverage.

I have attached details of Broadband Satellite for your consideration.

Should you have any queries please contact us on 1800 503 303

Regards & thanks,
Eircom

Finally:

Dear Mr Viking,

The telephone number is used to locate the Telephone Exchange area you are in.
This is then checked against the Base Stations which would allow line of sight access.

FWA packet is a residential product too.

Regards & thanks,
Eircom

Interesting pre-qualification method...

Urban Weigl

oscarBravo wrote:

(Recommended operating system Microsoft Windows or Macintosh) The other concern I have is this: Sounds like a nasty USB solution.

I may be able to alleviate that concern: The Airspan equipment that Last Mile use here in Ballyhaunis/Ballinlough is fully ethernet-based, and does not use any driver software, meaning as long as you have a network port and a PPPoE client on your PC it will work.

Knowing Eircom, they probably just have not heard about anything apart from Windows and Mac OS.

De Rebel

viking wrote:

FWA Packet does require line of sight to our base stations and to establish possible line of sight through a desk survey we require a telephone number.

?????? Must be some desktop survey package - 3 modelling of the entire country with sufficient accuracy to verify line of sight - includes models of all substantial structures - credible??

Thanks for the responses so far, I really just want to understand this product. 2 further questions:

Whats the deal with Airspan equipment?
Have eircom ever published the list of 63 locations?

thegills: could you point me to the previous discussion - I tried locating it and can't. Thanks

spongebob

De Rebel wrote:

Have eircom ever published the list of 63 locations?

Comreg refuse to divulge the list and so do Eircom. Comreg must staisfy themselves as to Eircom complying with their rollout requirements but in so doing Comreg refuse to put this information in the public domain so that the compliance may be verified.

Unlike FWA there are no licencing committments to rolling out ADSL . Eircom are obliged to have FWA coverage as per

http://www.comreg.ie/publications/default.asp?nid=100748&ctype=5

and ESPECIALLY

http://www.comreg.ie/publications/default.asp?nid=100827&ctype=5

I believe that Eircom are trying to avoid their Leased Line provision (as distinct from ADSL type service) responsibilites as per the latter of those links . OscarB had fun trying to get ISDN over FWA even though he HAD FWA

M

bminish

De Rebel wrote:

?????? Must be some desktop survey package - 3 modelling of the entire country with sufficient accuracy to verify line of sight - includes models of all substantial structures - credible??

No they don't have any such survey package, they are due to visit my house with a long stick to see if I can get it (not that I actually want it installed.. ) but they can't do that right now because the equipment on the mast in town is currently broken and it seems to be taking them a while to fix it. Not exactly confidence inspiring stuff

Me? I am building a wireless network to share out a 2 Mb ADSL connection

.Brendan

Zaphod

Muck wrote:

Comreg refuse to divulge the list and so do Eircom.

Would it be possible to access that list via a Freedom of Information request?

spongebob

Probably. If the intention of the request was the verification of compliance with stated licence conditions in the second doc I linked above there should be no problem .

M