New minister out of touch on broadband deficit

damien

New minister out of touch on broadband deficit

The Labour Spokesperson on Communications Deputy Tommy Broughan has accused the new Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey T.D. of being out of touch with reality on the growing broadband deficit and the state of Eircom's national communications network.

“Yesterday Minister Dempsey told the Telecommunications and Internet Federation Conference that he wanted to achieve 400,000 broadband subscribers by the end of 2006 and urged the industry to forget about targets of 100,000 to 200,000. But the harsh reality is that at least 30% of Eircom landlines are failing the broadband Quality Test Indicator (according to Eircom's competitor ESAT BT and industry analysts in Ireland Offline and the Silicon Republic). Only 70% of Eircom exchanges are broadband enabled. The privatisation of Ireland's National telecoms network has resulted in a steep drop in investment in the national network by Eircom (according to another competitor Smart Telecom and the above analysts).

“In fact, Sir Anthony O'Reilly and Dr. Philip Nolan (Chairperson and CEO of Eircom) are presiding over a decaying national network and they have no intention of meeting Minister Dempsey's targets. Like other deputies, I have received complaint after complaint from constituents around the country who have failed the quality test indicator due to so-called split and paired lines when Eircom linked a number of households together on a single line (on the basis that not everyone would be using the phone at the same time). As the internet developed of course this procedure has proved disastrous for enabling the country with fast always on broadband.

“Eircom is also failing to install communications networks in new estates and I have complaints from areas like Athy Co. Kildare and North Dublin that consumers are waiting for months and months for a landline due to Eircom's lack of investment in new exchanges.

"The result of this government's disastrous performance on communications and former Minister Dermot Ahern's dismal refusal to address the issue is that Ireland has fallen hopelessly behind in broadband. In the recent DSL Forum survey (on www.dslforum.org website) Ireland does not figure in the top 20 countries for DSL subscribers or DSL penetration of phone-lines. At 28.66% South Korea is top for DSL penetration.

“Irelands target for 2004 is only 100,000 subscribers (including business and households) representing perhaps just over 5% of landlines. Minister Dempsey has set the 2006 target of 400,000 DSL enabled lines because he is conceding that former Minister Ahern's target of 320,000 broadband consumers by 2005 is now simply unattainable.”

Deputy Broughan is urging Comreg to release all the information it has on split and paired lines and the deplorable state of the Eircom landline network. He is finally asking the Communications, Marine and Natural Resouces Committee of Dail Eireann to call in Sir Anthony J.F. O'Reilly to discuss this serious problem for Ireland's national telecoms infrastructure and economic future.

The Clown Man

I'd love to hear Tony O'Reilly's explanation for the impending doom he's laid on the country.