Government Broadband Tender to be announced in morning

damien

But sssh, not allowed to talk about it til then. More details to follow.

Maybe we can all go along to Government buildings in the morning and clap and stuff?

watty

Is this the "official" announcement of the official start tender process or what?

thebman

Its so Fianna Fail candidates can promise that they will solve the broadband crisis (by saying look we have a plan, what do the opposition have) when they are going door to door trying to get votes.

govinda

Press release is there now:

http://www.dcmnr.gov.ie/Press+Releases/Dempsey+Unveils+New+National+Broadband+Scheme.htm

I know I shouldn't be, but I'm surprised at their bravery in supplementing the press release with an *18MB* PDF coverage map for download ;-)

watty

The National Broadband Scheme is technology neutral but Service Providers must ensure that the option they choose complies with the speed, capacity and latency requirements. The winning Service Provider or Service Providers will be engaged for a period of 5 years and will be required to provide an operational service as soon as possible. A claw back clause will also be put in place to ensure any unanticipated profits from the service are shared between the exchequer and the Service Provider(s).

Given the neutrality of the scheme, it is expected that the winning Service Provider, or perhaps a consortium of Service Providers, will use a combination of several technologies to meet the scheme’s requirements.

That paragraph doesn't look so bad?

watty

people on eircom's list of "to be enabled exchanges" are excluded from the scheme up to 4.5km radius.
(Many Pink circles)
On Map:
Red = Currently served
Pink = Areas that are not currently served but are planned to be commercially served in the near future
Pale Green = The remaining areas that can be addresses by the NBS.

If eircom does not get it, their big list of "to be enabled exchanges" is limiting the competition. If eircom do get it can they change their mind and say, "well we are enabling it , but not in the NEAR future"?

damien

This whole paragraph is good. Upload could be better but at least it's not a 512k download.

The final product that consumers will receive from the NBS will be an always on service of at least 1Mbit/s down and 128kbits/s up. The minimum download capacity per connection will be 10 gigabits per month and the service must support Virtual Private Networks (VPN) for businesses and VoIP applications and devices for home business purposes. Latency must be sufficient in order to allow standard applications such as VoIP and online gaming to be run without significant degradation of service from an end user perspective.

This is also important:

Importantly the price that people will pay for service under the National Broadband Scheme will be no greater than the average price paid by consumers using similar technologies in areas that currently have access to Broadband,” said Minister Dempsey.

All well and good in a press release though but will it have loopholes for things like "sure Satellite is broadband and this isn't as expensive as satellite".

Still, a very welcome move.

Zoney

Talk about a suspect map! To keep it simple - yeah right most of Donegal can currently get broadband (red, not even pink). Cloud cuckoo land...

viking

Attached is a more bandwidth friendly version of the map.

damien

After looking at the map then it's bollox. That map like everything else that comes from Dempsey is a fabrication. I still think these maps are more accurate.

thebman

According to their map, my parents house is covered by Last Mile (only wireless operator in area) but we had them out and we can't get LOS to recieve the service.

Yet our area is listed as covered on that map. I can only assume there are 100's more in this situation be it trees or buildings blocking reception.

damien

Tender on eTender site: http://etenders.gov.ie/search/search_show.aspx?ID=MAY082913

damien

Release on this: http://lists.ie/pipermail/media/2007/000074.html

watty

Good clear analysis Damien that is similar to what I think too. However if this actually happens it is a step forward, though not as good as the FF spin suggests.

damien

Watty, indeed it is a step forward but the issue is whether it will be the first and last step forward too with the Government wiping their hands and saying they're done, everyone else can fend for themselves. The tender for broadband for all, as it was billed is half-arsed but then there's nothing new there.

Hacketry

That map looks like someone's got an AA map of Ireland, a big fat red marker, and some red paint on a sponge yoke to dab with like on those cheap-ass DIY shows on the tele.

And who says civil servants don't work hard I ask you?:D



Meedja coverage here:
http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-10050554.html

thebman

Actually since eircom announced all those other exchanges like my local one became viable then doesn't that suggest that they had some idea that the government would exclude any area that was labelled soon to be enabled from the tender.

Announcing all those exchanges would soon be enabled keeps competition out of those areas from the tender as the government excludes them from the tender.

RuggieBear

Hacketry wrote:

That map looks like someone's got an AA map of Ireland, a big fat red marker, and some red paint on a sponge yoke to dab with like on those cheap-ass DIY shows on the tele.

And who says civil servants don't work hard I ask you?:D



Meedja coverage here:
http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-10050554.html

that map was made by a outside consultant...esri ireland. shocking considering they are a GIS company. When i taught this stuff in college i would have failed students if they had presented a map like that to me.

thebman

RuggieBear wrote:

that map was made by a outside consultant...esri ireland. shocking considering they are a GIS company. When i taught this stuff in college i would have failed students if they had presented a map like that to me.

I don't get why they didn't just make the red spotches have like 50% opacity so you could see which areas they are actually covering.

oscarBravo

Considering the amount of time I spent compiling coverage information for the Department last August, I'm seriously pissed to see areas on that map marked as not covered when we have pretty much blanket coverage in them.

Grumpy phone call to the DCMNR in the morning...

RuggieBear

brim4brim wrote:

I don't get why they didn't just make the red spotches have like 50% opacity so you could see which areas they are actually covering.

That and the fact it is 18mb is beyond a joke to me. i actually make maps for the dept. Just in another section.

damien

brim4brim wrote:

Actually since eircom announced all those other exchanges like my local one became viable then doesn't that suggest that they had some idea that the government would exclude any area that was labelled soon to be enabled from the tender.

That's exactly what it suggests. Odd that, no?

damien

RuggieBear wrote:

That and the fact it is 18mb is beyond a joke to me. i actually make maps for the dept. Just in another section.

Want to make a proper map for us?

RuggieBear

damien.m wrote:

Want to make a proper map for us?

well i can try. need access to the data.

damien

RuggieBear wrote:

well i can try. need access to the data.

I shall PM you now.

lucernarian

Noel Dempsey wrote:

Today’s launch is great news for broadband hungry consumers in rural areas.

The sheer cheek of him. It was a year or two ago when demand was the excuse and he refused to even adknowledge the problems rural areas had.

Sure, bebo flashboxes have helped the broadband numbers but such a statement is an insult to the people who have waited for broadband for 5 years for their work and business. What a chancer.

Otherwise, the commitment to VoIP and VPN is very welcome indeed. We'll wait and see, but what other choice do the thousands of awaiting customers have?

thegills

128k upload isn't really great for gaming or VPN is it?
The map shows Wexford to be intirely covered but we all know that's not true.

damien

Can 1M up and 128k down reach to 4.5KM anyway?

Also re:map, I guess someone will have to make a new non-bull map but if we were to publish it we'd probably have to pay a lot of money to the OSI monopoly. Shame it can't be us giving monopoly money to them instead.

oscarBravo

The problem is, the map forms the basis for the tender. It's not just misinformation, it's seriously problematic for those of us who will have a subsidised competitor parachuted into areas where we're already offering service, thankyouverymuch.

smellslikeshoes

thegills wrote:

128k upload isn't really great for gaming or VPN is it?
The map shows Wexford to be intirely covered but we all know that's not true.

Noticed that too. Wexford is a prime example of the obvious problem with that map Wireless L.O.S.
The whole of Co.Wexford is covered by Permanet but because of Wexford's landscape and the large distance between their transmitters probably much less than half of people who are in the coverage circles would be able to get it.Myself being one of them

damien

smellslikeshoes wrote:

The whole of Co.Wexford is covered by Permanet but because of Wexford's landscape and the large distance between their transmitters probably much less than half of people who are in the coverage circles would be able to get it.

Which is the complete opposite to what OscarBravo is on about above. So it seems for Wexford, because of the generous coverage maps from Permanet, there will not be a subsidised service or any service to many blackspots but for areas where WestNet covers, the Government are subsidising a player to come in.

That's all kinds of fckedupness.