Finally - Progress on the broadband front - maybe not

muffler

I got a notification yesterday about the proposal to provide broadband to rural areas. The official launch is in Castlefinn next Monday - February 19. I am copying and pasting just some of the content below but if anyone wants the full press release PM me with an email address.


Community Network Services (CNS)

1 Aim
To develop and promote a high speed broadband network to urban/rural communities in economically and socially disadvantaged areas and to support and enhance the existing community projects in the border areas between Donegal/Derry/Tyrone.

2 Budget

CNS comprises of representation from the community sector in Donegal, Derry and Tyrone as well as local representatives, Councils and development agencies

Project management for the initiative is being carried out by ERNACT, a cross-border initiative between Derry City and Donegal County Councils to promote the development of the internet economy and services within the North West Cross-border Area. The bulk of the funding is being provided by IFI (€500,000) followed by INTERREG (€250,000).

3 Approach
1. CNS has appointed a company to design, build and manage the network
2. CNS recognises the importance of community ownership in the drive to generate demand for broadband
3. CNS will attempt to bring the supply of broadband to those areas that cannot hope to be served by the private sector over the next few years.

Current status
A service provider has now been appointed to roll out the high-speed network. This is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Phase 1 will involve the construction of a high-speed microwave backbone network linking towns in west and north Donegal to Northern Ireland and to the MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) system in East Donegal being developed by Donegal County Council with financial assistance from the DCMNR.(Dept of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources).

In parallel, Towns communities and rural areas mainly in Donegal will be provided with high-speed services by connecting to this backbone.

4 Time Scale
February 2007- Dec 2007

ednwireland

got the invite as well you going ? mind you i'm completely sceptical about this i'll beleive it when it starts delivering

muffler

ednwireland wrote:

got the invite as well you going ? mind you i'm completely sceptical about this i'll beleive it when it starts delivering

Hope to be there. I think the project will definitely get off the ground but as to getting broadband to 95% of the County is another matter - at an affordable cost??

deman

Where in Castlefin is the meeting, and at what time? Or is it open to the public?

muffler

deman wrote:

Where in Castlefin is the meeting, and at what time? Or is it open to the public?

Its a project launch/press conference type thingy and its at 3 o clock in the CPI building - The new community premises on the right as you leave Castlefinn going out the Lifford Road.

I dont know if its open to the public as I got an invite but I dont think they would turn anyone away either

deman

Was anyone here at that meet?

How did it go?

ednwireland

main presntation here
http://cns.ernact.net/Documents.aspx

pretty good nwe to build 155mbit wireless carrier network (cisco carrier grade equipment) round the county by the end 2007 i'm not sure on links to all the smaller communities timescales

but as ever i wait to be convinced but the head guy at NWE isnt knw for sitting about doing nothing

contact nwe
http://www.cranfordss.net/nwe/cns/cns_project.php

muffler

Thanks for the links ednwireland.

Couldn't get there as the jeep had to go into the carspital for a power steering pump transplant

Paddy20

muffler wrote:

Thanks for the links ednwireland.

Couldn't get there as the jeep had to go into the carspital for a power steering pump transplant [/QUOTE

Carspital !, Now that is a new one for the old dictionary, and I wonder could they do the same job on me .

P. :cool:

irish1967

95% of Donegal to be served by new broadband initiative Feb 20, 9:28 am
Wireless technologies will be used to deliver broadband to 95% of the population of Donegal by the end of 2007 as part of an investment costing €1million.

Knowing my luck I will be in the 5% not covered... wait.. just wait.. I bet I am:rolleyes:

ednwireland

irish1967 wrote:

95% of Donegal to be served by new broadband initiative Feb 20, 9:28 am
Wireless technologies will be used to deliver broadband to 95% of the population of Donegal by the end of 2007 as part of an investment costing €1million.

Knowing my luck I will be in the 5% not covered... wait.. just wait.. I bet I am:rolleyes:

considering the list of speakers i would apply to
http://www.cranfordss.net/nwe/cns/cns_project.php
if you dont get a reply complain to mary coughlan, pat the cope and dinny mcginley (they were all there). now it may be that the rollout time is next year if your in the boondocks somewhere
good luck

muffler

Just dragging this out of the bowels of the forum as despite the big launch and all the promises and apparently some work was being done its pathetic that the system still isn't up and running yet

babaloushka

I tried to email a query in the relevant response box on that site - it wouldn't take any text I put in, even though I reduced and rejigged it about 10 times It kept asking me to input a valid response query :eek:
Is this 'service' up and running anywhere? That map with coverage is awful - I couldn't make head nor tail of it. Pricey, especially for first installation, but with UTV acting the maggot lately I would pay just to get a half decent service.

smashey

I've seen it installed in houses near Glen (the Carrigart one) and in Killea.

muffler

smashey wrote: »

I've seen it installed in houses near Glen (the Carrigart one) and in Killea.

I didnt think it was available anywhere yet but there you go - you learn something new every day.

muffler

babaloushka wrote: »

I tried to email a query in the relevant response box on that site - it wouldn't take any text I put in, even though I reduced and rejigged it about 10 times It kept asking me to input a valid response query :eek:
Is this 'service' up and running anywhere? That map with coverage is awful - I couldn't make head nor tail of it. Pricey, especially for first installation, but with UTV acting the maggot lately I would pay just to get a half decent service.

Might do no harm to email the council seeing as they are one of the funders and the organiser of the service.

I posted in another thread that i rang NWE one day but no answer. i sent them 2 emails a few months ago but got no reply to them either.

shiibata

Wish they would hurry up and do something as my O2 connection is crap this morning, no good the best of times but its the best of a bad bunch where I am situated.

babaloushka

Well, I got through to the number on that site and they say it IS available in my area She's sending me on the blurb and an application form. I'm not doing the happy dance yet though - I need to find out what the service is like and contract details etc. Anyone know?
I still have to extricate myself from UTV, too and I'm awaiting their latest response to the speed test controversy:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055371860

Anyone from Donegal having problems with their speed, no matter who their ISP is, should post on the Broadband forum. We need to put/keep pressure on for a decent service.

byte

With relation to UTV Broadband, mine has been OK for the past few days. I've also mentioned on the thread. I sure hope it stays good now.

shiibata

What is this UTV broadband, is there a link for it to see where it covers.

muffler

shiibata wrote: »

What is this UTV broadband, is there a link for it to see where it covers.

The last time I looked its a fixed line bb the same as Eircom, BT, Perlico etc. They have different packages going and depending on your situation some of the packages may or may not be more suited to you than similar packages from the other providers.

Unless you are in the catchment area of a BB enabled exchanged they wont be of any use to you.

Link

babaloushka

shiibata wrote: »

What is this UTV broadband, is there a link for it to see where it covers.

Yes, I'm afraid as Muffler says they're what's called an Eircom reseller, meaning that if you don't have an Eircom broadband enabled line, it's no good to you.
Have you checked out your phoneline availability lately? The strange thing for me - and it's a good while ago now - but MY number showed up as not suitable for broadband on the Eircom site checker and quite the opposite on the UTV site, which I know now is impossible It just meant that I took the UTV package - nearly bit the hand off them to get it With the crap service I'm getting now, I might be crawling back to Eircom soon :eek:

shiibata

Cheers for the info Muff & Bab, thought it might have been a wireless device..
Had the internet through eircom and perlico here but was paying for a phoneline just to get internet so got rid of it. Had no BB of course with them. Have tried vodafone, meteor and now have 02, all rubbish but as have stated before, O2 is the best of a bad bunch.. The ordinary eircom connection was better but dearer unfortunately.

babaloushka

I responded to a post on the Broadband forum yesterday http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=57369779&postcount=687
claiming to be from Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=57361539&postcount=683

Well, lo and behold, but it WAS him and he contacted me today, regretting that I couldn't attend the policy meeting :eek: If he could see/hear me, I doubt if he would have expressed the same sentiment I've been invited to add my perspective to a private online discussion about the future of broadband. Soooooo, anyone like to contribute anything for me to say????

Muffler, if this is not in the place you think it should be, then please move (you will anyway, I suppose )

muffler

babaloushka wrote: »

Muffler, if this is not in the place you think it should be, then please move (you will anyway, I suppose )

You have an awful bad opinion of me

Nah its grand. We are all affected by broadband or the lack of so whether its here or in Kilkenny we can debate it although I would try to see more of a local emphasis on it something along the lines of what this thread is about rather than a general discussion about BB.