Eircom eFibre VDSL/FTTC rollout – plans to reach 1.6m premises by mid 2016

Nody

PseudoFamous wrote: »

Assuming that these cabinets cost €50K, can serve 150 residential units, and only 50% of those units take up the lowest tier subscription (€50/mo iirc), they'd have the cabinet paid back in just over a year.

Within three years, they'd be raking in the cash, so why aren't they trying harder?

Because between VAT, resell requirements and what not they are not making even close to 5 EUR per month in profit on the line?

zt-OctaviaN

Nody wrote: »

Because between VAT, resell requirements and what not they are not making even close to 5 EUR per month in profit on the line?

given Eircom rent the backhual and lease for the lines sure Eircom make more money that a 3rd party providing same broadband/phone so why arent Eircom making large amounts of money? Surely at the least they are far better off than a company that has to lease the backhaul/line.

dub45

bealtine wrote: »

Basic speed on fibre is 25Mbs for E50 per month, compare that with UPC at 37 per month. All eircom fibre has managed to achieve is UPC jacking up their prices...

You cannot actually purchase UPC bb for 37 per month.

bealtine

dub45 wrote: »

You cannot actually purchase UPC bb for 37 per month.

Very true, I forgot the surcharge...

arctan

Sponge Bob wrote: »

The cab comes preconfigured from a factory, onsite works are confined to a bit of digging. concrete pouring and punching down of copper and splicing of fibre. Around 6 man days total across all specialties.

ESB supplies are not always in situ, holding up some cab rollouts, or they work in parallel

Sponge Bob wrote: »

100 - 200 depending on cabinet size. I think I heard eircom are using 96 144 and 192 port units..variously.... but not sure of the details.

those new smaller green cabs are 192 with 200 pair loop cables into existing cabs ... can't see why they didnt just stick with the whole cab replacement in some areas, as you're gonna have an old cab with 2 or 3 of those new fibre cabs all in one place in densely populated areas

Sponge Bob

They are retrofitting the old green 200 pair (Unpowered D - E side conversion) cabs with an internal VDSL unit and power in some cases are they....rather than plank the VDSL cab beside them???

arctan

no the VDSL cabs are still being put beside them, it's just hilarious though that the newer smaller ones which Eircom seem to have gone with can only hold a max of 192 VDSL customers and some might be in feeding with 300 + customers ...

I know obviously not everyone will be using VDSL, but there is a good chance they will hit capacity too ...

my point was that should have just replaced the cab in densly populated areas with those dedicated FTTC cabs they had during the pilot phase to future proof for capacity

bealtine

arctan wrote: »

my point was that should have just replaced the cab in densly populated areas with those dedicated FTTC cabs they had during the pilot phase to future proof for capacity

Spot on, do it the sensible way...

Sponge Bob

arctan wrote: »

no the VDSL cabs are still being put beside them, it's just hilarious though that the newer smaller ones which Eircom seem to have gone with can only hold a max of 192 VDSL customers and some might be in feeding with 300 + customers ...

But as they are in areas which have UPC (by and large) then 192 out of 300 is a pretty good takeup rate.

Around 40% of eircoms installed base of D sides carry no service at present anyway, some residential customers have gone to UPC and many are mobile only households nowadays. Many extra D sides were installed in the 1990s when people had both a phone line and a modem line in their houses. That business is long gone but the copper is still there.

There is an upper limit on 'unmetered' units ( I think it is a 2KW draw) where the ESB supplies power to a 'box' and charges flat rate 24/7 for it with no meter. It could be that 192 ports is the best density they can do right now without paying for the extra cost of metering.

Putting a 300 port cab beside a 300 line 'green box' strikes me as overprovisioning anyway.

LFCFan

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Putting a 300 port cab beside a 300 line 'green box' strikes me as overprovisioning anyway.

And putting 2 lanes and roundabouts on the M50 was short-sighted If the cost is not prohibitive, would it not be better to build for the future than build for the present?

Sponge Bob

LFCFan wrote: »

would it not be better to build for the future than build for the present?

It would normally but for eircom the present is the future like!

LFCFan

Sponge Bob wrote: »

It would normally but for eircom the present is the future like!

I guess you're right. Their strategy right now is do what they can to maximise any sale price by doing as little as possible and let the next owners worry about future capacity!!

Sponge Bob

LFCFan wrote: »

I guess you're right. Their strategy right now is do what they can to maximise any sale price

Their strategy is to dodge examinership (again) in 2015/6 in my opinion. They are still carrying far too much debt at €2.3bn to invest properly and either get onto the curve or ahead of the curve on technology.

I suppose once they get down to 1.2m lines and 2 copper pairs per active line then they can see a future in Pair Bonded VDSL profiles for themselves.

They may well reach 1.2m lines as early as 2014. It is around 1.4m now but the 300k+ social welfare lines may not last very long.

stevenf17

Interesting!
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/28793-bt-to-trial-80mbps-fibre/

Liamario

stevenf17 wrote: »

Interesting!
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/28793-bt-to-trial-80mbps-fibre/

It seems that the british have helped us out again!

Sponge Bob

Liamario wrote: »

It seems that the british have helped us out again!

BT can get the cabinets a lot cheaper than eircom can!!! I wonder whether BT decided that eircom are going into UPC infested suburbia so they'll go into non UPC infested business districts like central Dun Laoghaire etc.

And what is this request of theirs to eircom, middle mile fibre perhaps ????

starviewadams

Wonder will BT start doing mid size non UPC regional towns if this trial is a success?get in ahead of Eircom's slow FTTC roll out.

PeadarB

Does this mean that any exchange that is part of the LLU scene would be available to BT / Vodafone. There were some 98 exchanges LLU'ed at this time last year.

More interesting is that BT are considering FTTP as a simple add-on to be run from FTTC sites giving speeds of up to 300mb+in the UK and NI. Successful trials have completed in Cornwall. Over 89% of NI is now connected to / or can connect to fibre with speeds of up to 80mb. Sickening, truly sickening...

bealtine

PeadarB wrote: »

There were some 98 exchanges LLU'ed at this time last year.

Where did you get that figure from?

PeadarB

bealtine wrote: »

Where did you get that figure from?

Got it from a list that was on this thread some months ago but deemed privileged and whipped off in double quick time.

Sponge Bob

PeadarB wrote: »

Got it from a list that was on this thread some months ago but deemed privileged and whipped off in double quick time.

Oh I know the list you mean.

These are the 88 LLU exchanges from it aren't they.

AKW Arklow
ATH Athlone
BRN Balbriggan
BLA Ballina
BSE Ballinasloe
BNC Ballincollig
BLB Ballyboden
BBH Beggars Bush
BLP Belcamp
BDT Blanchardstown
BRI Bray
CAB Cabra
CHD Caherdavin
CRW Carlow
CBR Castlebar
CSW Castletown
CTY Castletroy
CEL Celbridge
CHF Churchfield
CWT Citywest
CLM Clonmel
CLT Clontarf
CLK Coolock
CKC Cork Central
CGA Crossagalla
CRA Crown Alley
CRL Crumlin
CUS Customs Hs Docks
DYX Dennehys Cross
DBN Dolphins Barn
DBT Donabate
LKD Dooradoyle
DGS Douglas
DBC Drogheda
DDK Dundalk
DDM Dundrum
DLA Dunlaoghaire
ETY Enniscorthy
FNG Finglas
FOX Foxrock
GAL Galway
GRY Gorey
GRS Greystones
KNY Kilkenny
KLN Killarney
LKY Letterkenny
LCN Lucan Ballydowd
MHZ Malahide
MER Merrion
MVW Mervue
MGR Mullingar
NAS Naas
CLD Nangor Road
AUV Navan
NMN North Main
NUT Nutley
PHB Phibsboro
PGS Portlaoise
PMK Portmarnock
PRP Priory Park
QKR Quaker Road
RTD Rathedmond
RMS Rathmines
LMK Roches Street
ROC Rochestown
RSL Roslevin
RUS Rush
SND Sandyford
SNH Sandyford Aeh
SAN Santry
SKL Shankill
SLA Shantalla
SHP Ship Street
SKS Skerries
SGO Sligo
SRL Summerhill
STN Sutton
SRD Swords
TLH Tallaght
TRE Terenure
TWV Tralee
TYC Tycor
WAL Walkinstown
WTD Waterford Central
WRD Wellington Road
WXD Wexford
WHI Whitehall
WLW Wicklow

PeadarB

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Oh I know the list you mean.

These are the 88 LLU exchanges from it aren't they.

Spongebob - 92? I still can't count:D

dubmick

So how soon will these exchanges have fibre? It would be nice to say goodbye to my 4mb line

bealtine

dubmick wrote: »

So how soon will these exchanges have fibre? It would be nice to say goodbye to my 4mb line

Whenever eircom get to them:)

Liamario

Best case scenario. What's the Irish broadband landscape going to look like in 18 months?

bealtine

Liamario wrote: »

Best case scenario. What's the Irish broadband landscape going to look like in 18 months?

best case : every exchange in the country has fibre into the exchange and fibre to cabinets in the surrounding area...

probable case : Large towns and cities have fibre (done) and fibre to the cabinets in the area

Liamario

bealtine wrote: »

best case : every exchange in the country has fibre into the exchange and fibre to cabinets in the surrounding area...

probable case : Large towns and cities have fibre (done) and fibre to the cabinets in the area

So, if you live in any of the towns on the list, you can be looking forward to far greater speeds if you are currently on DSL.

I wonder if this will get UPC moving in terms of getting broadband out fully in areas riddled with "blockers".

bk

Liamario wrote: »

I wonder if this will get UPC moving in terms of getting broadband out fully in areas riddled with "blockers".

I think UPC will continue to work at their own rate. They still have a superior product with higher speeds and a very well developed TV and now video on demand product.

They will probably continue to expand where it makes financial sense. And continue to target already connected areas to get people to switch over to them.

The one effect it will probably have is keep price inflation down. UPC's prices seem to be creeping up recently, some competition should halt that.

I also think UPC are missing out on a low end, cheap product, with a short contract to target all the people using 3g "broadband".

bealtine

bk wrote: »

The one effect it will probably have is keep price inflation down. UPC's prices seem to be creeping up recently, some competition should halt that.

I also think UPC are missing out on a low end, cheap product, with a short contract to target all the people using 3g "broadband".

Creeping isn't the word I'd use:)

It's now E37 + 7.88 so 44.88 for the basic 25Mbs package, the basic package has gone up considerably in price in the past few years, it is still competitive with what ever eircom will deliver over fibre but only just.

stevenf17

I wonder now with Sky soon starting to offer broadband through that deal with BT and BT potentially starting to roll out fibre, will this finally mean some proper competition for UPC.