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Broadband in Northern Ireland

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  • 17-12-2008 1:48am
    #1
    Magnet: Rory
    Company Representative Posts: 2,107 ✭✭✭


    On a recent trip up to the North of Ireland I checked up the broadband situation. To my surprise there did not seem to be a cable broadband supplier (like UPC) that i could see and whenever i asked about contention ratio's I was looked at as if i had 10 heads. Does anyone else know any other differences between the Irelands in terms of broadband networks?


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    #2
    ardmacha
    Registered Users Posts: 7,476 ✭✭✭ardmacha


    Virgin bought the NTL cable in Belfast and certainly supply broadband and have a significant part of the phone market too.

    Because people don't know about contention doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
    A simple way to compare the resold services that are widely available is to go to UTVclicksilver.com and just change between the NI and ROI sections.


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    #3
    Magnet: Rory
    Company Representative Posts: 2,107 ✭✭✭Magnet: Rory


    ahhhhh, i knew they must have some cable networks...thanks for that.

    what about contention...are there any uncontended suppliers? whats the customer service like on the phones? whats the network like? any fibre?

    anymore answers?


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    #4
    Cabaal
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,493 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    Average through most Home ADSL ISP's within NI would be 50:1 afaik as they are reselling the standard BT Wholesale IP-Stream product, business providers will of course vary


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    #5
    watty
    Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    Smart here is almost uncontented (the nearest to it on a domestic package). They are not in N.I.

    Generally you only get true unlimited and uncontended on a Buisness package. My Dad has Virgin Cable since NTL days and it's fine for him. There is DSL and also in some areas Digiweb Metro (or shortly). I don't if the 20Mbps uncontended Digiweb wireless is in Belfast yet.

    Sky (BSkyB) does LLU DSL in a large number of UK sites and also resold Bitstream. But I don't know if that applies in N.I.


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    #6
    Cabaal
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,493 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    Providers like Sky, TalktALK & AOL offer offer resold ip-stream and LLU in NI, not sure about contention and again these are residential providers


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    #7
    Magnet: Rory
    Company Representative Posts: 2,107 ✭✭✭Magnet: Rory


    i talked to a Sky guy and he gave me the info on Sky.....LLU but no mention of contention.

    Do they have any fibre to the home (Virgin have this in Britian) at all....i cant find any evidence online?


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    #8
    watty
    Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    Sky LLU is not high contention (but I don't know what it is). Resold BT is I believe 50:1


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    #9
    ardmacha
    Registered Users Posts: 7,476 ✭✭✭ardmacha


    Do they have any fibre to the home

    Probably in new developments. Most of the network was laid in the late 1980's or so, newer than much of the kit in Dublin, but not quite intended for modern broadband.


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    #10
    Magnet: Rory
    Company Representative Posts: 2,107 ✭✭✭Magnet: Rory


    watty wrote: »
    Sky LLU is not high contention (but I don't know what it is). Resold BT is I believe 50:1

    Reselling LLU? is that normal? no equiptment of their own?


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    #11
    watty
    Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    no.
    Sky Broadband is either their own LLU OR they sell BT's wholesale 50:1 product if they don't have LLU at the exchange you connected to.

    They bought easynet in Uk. Due to associated costs there is no non-eircom equivalent to buy here. Smart covers too few exchanges and also the Sky pricing model can't work here even if they did buy Smart.


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    #12
    ardmacha
    Registered Users Posts: 7,476 ✭✭✭ardmacha


    http://www.cable.co.uk/regions/northern-ireland/broadband.html


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    #13
    Magnet: Rory
    Company Representative Posts: 2,107 ✭✭✭Magnet: Rory


    ardmacha wrote: »
    http://www.cable.co.uk/regions/northern-ireland/broadband.html

    looks pretty much the same as the republic.......cept for the 99% ADSL coverage.


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    #14
    lucernarian
    Registered Users Posts: 9,235 ✭✭✭lucernarian


    watty wrote: »
    Smart here is almost uncontented (the nearest to it on a domestic package). They are not in N.I.

    Generally you only get true unlimited and uncontended on a Buisness package. My Dad has Virgin Cable since NTL days and it's fine for him. There is DSL and also in some areas Digiweb Metro (or shortly). I don't if the 20Mbps uncontended Digiweb wireless is in Belfast yet.

    Sky (BSkyB) does LLU DSL in a large number of UK sites and also resold Bitstream. But I don't know if that applies in N.I.
    20mbits uncontended wireless? This is quite a product, the spectrum needs must be immense;)

    I thought it wasn't possible to have point-to-multipoint wireless that isn't somehow contended? Regardless of backhaul, the base station would need to route everything perfectly and the wireless part would have to function independently of other users of the base station (goodbye CDMA). My knowledge in this area is not good, so please correct where I'm wrong!

    OT: When will digiweb be launching in Northern Ireland, and are we to expect any further additions to the Metro network in the Republic? Mt. Oriel would be a nice Christmas pressie:D


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    #15
    Magnet: Rory
    Company Representative Posts: 2,107 ✭✭✭Magnet: Rory


    http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/11982/

    thought this one was good.


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    #16
    watty
    Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    To_be_confirmed wrote: »
    20mbits uncontended wireless? This is quite a product, the spectrum needs must be immense;)

    I thought it wasn't possible to have point-to-multipoint wireless that isn't somehow contended? Regardless of backhaul, the base station would need to route everything perfectly and the wireless part would have to function independently of other users of the base station (goodbye CDMA). My knowledge in this area is not good, so please correct where I'm wrong!

    Obviously you can only have one user on a 20Mbps un-contended wireless connection unless it has lots of spectrum.

    I don't think any of the main Digiweb products use CDMA, it doesn't scale and has poor spectrum efficiency. Metro is Multiplexed Broadcast on Downstream and multiple TDMA channels on Upstream, hence scales perfectly.


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