The www.broadbandatoz.ie/ site's accuracy

geordief

Just wondering how accurate it is.
In my area new taller stronger poles have gone up and the cables have been changed to lighter ones.
The man at the post office has said the poles are in preparation for broadband but he doesn't know when.
The http://www.broadbandatoz.ie/ site lists my area as having no plans for 2009.
Can I hope that they may be wrong?
At least can I hope that the new poles do mean that broadband will come in 2010 say?
Are the new poll a significant part of the upgrade?

cgarvey

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there's no significant link between the 2. eircom broadband rollout is almost exclusively based on putting DSLAMs/DSL equipment in the exchanges (and sub-exchanges), and not concerned with line replacement or pairgain/splitter removal.

Obviously eircom continue to upgrade their network of lines every day, but that's no indication of a DSL upgrade in the local exchange. It does help your chances of getting DSL (because the line quality will usually be improved), but when, or if, the exchange is enabled.

The atoz site is reasonably acurate in terms of "when". eircom have a tendency to fasttrack some exchanges that were never marked for upgrade when a wireless ISP gains traction in a given area. Apart from that, if eircom say "no plans", you can be reasonably sure there aren't any immediate plans (in the next few months, next year, or so).

The exact location of the exchanges on the site and the completeness of the exchanges is not very accurate, I believe.

watty

Caherconlish had BB ages before Patrickswell in Limerick, yet the former is not shown.

AFAIK they only put up new poles because the old ones need replaced. They have happily put new or extra cables in the past on quite old poles.

Headshot

that site is full of ****e tbh

im gutted iv still no broadband in my area, looking at that site i was suppose to get it by the end of 2009 now its put back to early next year according to emails I get from them

I believe it when i see it

lucernarian

cgarvey wrote: »

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there's no significant link between the 2. eircom broadband rollout is almost exclusively based on putting DSLAMs/DSL equipment in the exchanges (and sub-exchanges), and not concerned with line replacement or pairgain/splitter removal.

Obviously eircom continue to upgrade their network of lines every day, but that's no indication of a DSL upgrade in the local exchange. It does help your chances of getting DSL (because the line quality will usually be improved), but when, or if, the exchange is enabled.

The atoz site is reasonably acurate in terms of "when". eircom have a tendency to fasttrack some exchanges that were never marked for upgrade when a wireless ISP gains traction in a given area. Apart from that, if eircom say "no plans", you can be reasonably sure there aren't any immediate plans (in the next few months, next year, or so).

The exact location of the exchanges on the site and the completeness of the exchanges is not very accurate, I believe.

You're basically right, but you forgot the one scenario that I believe may apply in the OP's situation.

What if the new fibre was being installed on overhead poles? The fibre cables I've seen installed in Ireland so far are a bit thinner than the 30-pair cables that eircom use. I don't think they use the smaller pair cables anymore (20-pair?). They are also installed higher up than copper ones.

Sponge Bob

eh ?? pole mounted fibre ??? where ???

lucernarian

On the former N8 in Co. Tipp somewhere. Definitely a fibre installation, as I saw various pieces of equipment going alongside it and the cable looked a bit smaller. There was even a "Danger: Fibre Optic cables being installed" sign attached to a pole where there was a road junction. South of Horse and Jockey IIRC.

I'm 100% certain that overhead fibre is being used by eircom and if I do go down there anytime soon, I'll get a photo or two of the joiner units or the circular reel thingys at the end of every stretch. I assume they're for spare cable should the cable be cut.

P.S. I'm pretty sure I've read mentions of overhead fibre installs on this forum before? How did you, SB, not hear a thing about this and it on a national primary route?

CelticTigress

cgarvey wrote: »

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there's no significant link between the 2. eircom broadband rollout is almost exclusively based on putting DSLAMs/DSL equipment in the exchanges (and sub-exchanges),

or not, as in my case.

Obviously eircom continue to upgrade their network of lines every day, but that's no indication of a DSL upgrade in the local exchange. It does help your chances of getting DSL (because the line quality will usually be improved), but when, or if, the exchange is enabled.

The atoz site is reasonably acurate in terms of "when". eircom have a tendency to fasttrack some exchanges that were never marked for upgrade when a wireless ISP gains traction in a given area. Apart from that, if eircom say "no plans", you can be reasonably sure there aren't any immediate plans (in the next few months, next year, or so).

The exact location of the exchanges on the site and the completeness of the exchanges is not very accurate, I believe.

Yes, unfortunately they are extremely accurate in my case. No plans and my exchange doesn't even exist.

clohamon

By my reckoning 144 out of the list of 319 announced in 2007 have been upgraded last year (2009). A further 26 (below) were enabled that were either not on the list or are new exchanges.

Moneyballytyrrell
Castlebridge
Northwest Business Park
Ballygawley
Adamstown (The Paddocks)
Adamstown Square
Kilbride
Clonakilty West
Shillelagh
Goleen
Linsfort
Merrymeeting
Macroom West
Mallow (The Beeches)
Curraheen Road
Centrepoint Business Park
Glencullen
Roundwood
Carragh
Dubber
Heuston Square
Ballylooby
Rushbrook
Bohermeen
Ballyroan
Faha cross

The 319 list was due for completion by end 2009. Roughly 70 of those remain to be done. At the current rate they should/might be done in the next six months. But then again……..

Sponge Bob

They have about 1200 exchanges, 875 are enabled and 325 are not.

Incidentally the 875 enabled exchanges are split almost 50/50 between old ADSL gear ( up to 8mbits) and ADSL2 ( up to 24mbits) and the ADSL2 capable exchanges will be in the majority by January at the rate they are going.