NBP part II

allanpkr

all quite on the western front?

Gonzo

allanpkr wrote: »

all quite on the western front?

with the NBP now passed, there isn't alot to talk about until we start seeing spades in the ground!

recyclebin

On the NBI website they will be giving estimated dates for rollout in a few weeks. That will be the next big milestone. At the moment we could all be up to 7 years away from getting broadband so it would be nice to narrow that timeline down for each eircode.

ussjtrunks

Imagine will get a boost if people get dates later than 2 years, I know some using 3 atm who want to switch to imagine but are holding off due to the length of the contract

clohamon

recyclebin wrote: »

On the NBI website they will be giving estimated dates for rollout in a few weeks. That will be the next big milestone. At the moment we could all be up to 7 years away from getting broadband so it would be nice to narrow that timeline down for each eircode.

Two possible reactions...

Reaction 1: Everybody calmly acknowledges that the published roll-out schedule will be in the interests of efficiency and saving money. And though some might have to wait longer than others, it's unavoidable and for the best.

Reaction 2: War

tsue921i8wljb3

clohamon wrote: »

Two possible reactions...

Reaction 1: Everybody calmly acknowledges that the published roll-out schedule will be in the interests of efficiency and saving money. And though some might have to wait longer than others, it's unavoidable and for the best.

Reaction 2: War

I know which my money is on!

fergus1001

Emmanuel Lemon Louse wrote:

I know which my money is on!

cant wait for the day I ring up to order my fiber connection phone call will will be something like this

internet provider: so fergus what speed would you like ?

me: yes

Mortelaro

I emailed the department 9 days ago
No reply
Emailed today again No reply

tsue921i8wljb3

Some more news about the BCPs. Has anyone got a subscription to the Business Post to fill in the details?

https://www.businesspost.ie/telecoms/rural-wireless-internet-hubs-to-be-replaced-within-years-bd586ff5

clohamon

Emmanuel Lemon Louse wrote: »

Some more news about the BCPs. Has anyone got a subscription to the Business Post to fill in the details?

https://www.businesspost.ie/telecoms/rural-wireless-internet-hubs-to-be-replaced-within-years-bd586ff5

No. but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a bit of PO'D re-cycling. I suspect he's just making a big deal of the temporary microwave links being replaced with fibre.
https://twitter.com/BrianFlanagan1/status/1196801160604258304?s=20

tsue921i8wljb3

I thought that might be the case but I was hoping there may be some new information in it. In particular I was wondering if there was any news about who will be in charge of setting up these points. In response to a question last week Seán Canney seemed to state there would be a procurement process.

The Department will also procure a provider, or providers, for the installation of access infrastructure at the connection points and will provide a subvention to Local Authorities towards the costs of retail services for non-commercial sites and sites with no significant revenue raising activities.

Further details on the BCPs, including the locations of each connection point, are available at https://nbi.ie/broadband-connection-points/.

As the procurement process for infrastructure and retail services has not yet been completed, no capital or current expenditure has been allocated to the project by the Department to date, other than through the annual subvention of €42,000 towards the salaries of the Broadband Officers in each Local Authority. However, the Broadband Officers have a wider remit than the BCP project.

The number of people who will employed in delivering the BCPs arising from the procurement process will be a matter for the successful tenderer(s).

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2019-11-27/265/speech/647/

clohamon

Emmanuel Lemon Louse wrote: »

I thought that might be the case but I was hoping there may be some new information in it. In particular I was wondering if there was any news about who will be in charge of setting up these points. In response to a question last week Seán Canney seemed to state there would be a procurement process.
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2019-11-27/265/speech/647/

By my reckoning there's about 97 WiFi4EU award winners with €15K(EU) + €15K (DRCD) funding.

If these two schemes - BCPs and Wifi4EU - don't overlap in some way I'd be surprised. Equally, I'd be surprised if DRCD doesn't get involved. The EU implementation requirements are very broad - See Section 5.

Each municipality may contract the Wi-Fi installation company of its choice to install the wireless equipment. Please note that the Commission/INEA will not intervene in the contractual relationship between the municipalities and their Wi-Fi installation company.

It will be also possible for existing networks to join the WiFi4EU initiative without using vouchers. We are working towards providing adequate solutions to the different situations that could be presented.

kazoo106

And then there are the ones at the schools, who in their right mind are going to allow people to pull up outside a school and use Wifi? Who is going to maintain the equipment in the school ? What happens at evenings or weekends when the router hangs.

Kindergarten PR stuff - most of it nonsense

heavydawson

Emmanuel Lemon Louse wrote: »

Some more news about the BCPs. Has anyone got a subscription to the Business Post to fill in the details?

https://www.businesspost.ie/telecoms/rural-wireless-internet-hubs-to-be-replaced-within-years-bd586ff5

Here ya go....

Hundreds of wireless internet hubs due to be delivered across rural Ireland by the end of 2020 will be replaced by fibre connection in subsequent years as the National Broadband Plan is rolled out.

The government last month awarded the multibillion-euro National Broadband Plan (NBP) contract to David McCourt’s National Broadband Ireland (NBI) company. The scheme aims to bring high-speed fibre broadband to 537,600 premises.

In its first year, more than 300 broadband connection points (BCPs) will be installed in public locations such as schools, libraries and GAA clubs.

On the day the NBP contract was signed, the government released a statement that said the BCP locations would “be provided with a wireless broadband connection”.

Peter McCarthy, the chief executive at Enet, also told the Business Post earlier this year that the BCPs would be connected with wireless broadband.

Enet is one of a number of companies that will be tasked by NBI with delivering the broadband plan.

“This is wireless, which is kind of funny to be starting the NBP by rolling out wireless points, but it’s bringing broadband connectivity to parts of the country that haven’t had it. As fibre gets rolled out, these will be removed,” he said.

A spokeswoman for NBI said the BCPs would provide a wireless internet service initially before being replaced by fibre connections over time.

“All of the broadband connection points will ultimately have full-fibre connectivity. To ensure that these rural communities have public facilities with high-speed internet access in 2020, a point-to-point licensed wireless solution will initially be deployed for the BCPs,” she said.

“As the fibre network roll-out reaches each BCP, they will be migrated to a full-fibre connectivity solution. This was in the submitted plan from the outset, and all of the costs to deliver the above have been factored into the approved state aid funding.”

The government has allocated €119 million to delivering the €6 billion rural broadband scheme next year.

Much of the funding set aside for 2020 is likely to be spent installing 319 BCPs.

NBI’s subcontractors, which include KN Group, the Kelly Group, eNet, Actavo and Nokia, will be used to deliver the BCPs.

The Business Post previously reported that the Department of Rural and Community Development will issue a separate tender to find a retail service provider to operate the hubs as well.

purpleisafruit

The hilarious thing about the BCP in my area is there are about 100 houses within a 200m radius. I imagine that it would make sense for them to roll out to the village at the same time but government contracts aren't the most sensible at times so I'm not holding my breath.
The other entertaining thing for us locals is that the BCP is going to be in the community centre which is currently being rebuilt completely, full demolition and new structure in progress.

Orebro

purpleisafruit wrote: »

The hilarious thing about the BCP in my area is there are about 100 houses within a 200m radius. I imagine that it would make sense for them to roll out to the village at the same time but government contracts aren't the most sensible at times so I'm not holding my breath.
The other entertaining thing for us locals is that the BCP is going to be in the community centre which is currently being rebuilt completely, full demolition and new structure in progress.

There are 500K+ premises to take care of, a project of massive proportions - this talk of people thinking they're the centre of the universe makes no sense at all. Why would they cater specially for 100 houses?

tsue921i8wljb3

Thanks heavydawson, much like clohamon said it is pretty much a recycled story.

purpleisafruit

Orebro wrote: »

There are 500K+ premises to take care of, a project of massive proportions - this talk of people thinking they're the centre of the universe makes no sense at all. Why would they cater specially for 100 houses?

You're already specifically running fibre to that location and I imagine that building out the extra infrastructure at that time would make sense rather than coming back to it in x number of months to add on to the work done to connect 1 location. It's taking advantage of the low-hanging fruit that any business will prioritise.
Thanks for your input

tsue921i8wljb3

purpleisafruit wrote: »

You're already specifically running fibre to that location and I imagine that building out the extra infrastructure at that time would make sense rather than coming back to it in x number of months to add on to the work done to connect 1 location. It's taking advantage of the low-hanging fruit that any business will prioritise.
Thanks for your input

They are not running fibre to BCPs. It is a wireless point to point network.

purpleisafruit

Emmanuel Lemon Louse wrote: »

They are not running fibre to BCPs. It is a wireless point to point network.

They were pulling fibre cabling to various junction boxes in the village yesterday so maybe Eir are selectively removing us from the NBP

Orebro

purpleisafruit wrote: »

You're already specifically running fibre to that location and I imagine that building out the extra infrastructure at that time would make sense rather than coming back to it in x number of months to add on to the work done to connect 1 location. It's taking advantage of the low-hanging fruit that any business will prioritise.
Thanks for your input

And who’s going to do that for you - the three lads installing the wireless connection on the roof of the community hall?

BarryM

This whole BCP thing is a bit of a joke.

Their locations were originally suggested as role for 'broadband officers' in the County Councils.

In one location I am aware of, the BCP, County Council style, was to be installed in a community hall. In the recent NBI proposal, it is to be installed in the library.

In both cases 24/7 availability is not possible, except perhaps via wifi. The BCPs are supposed to be fibre [IN DUE COURSE?] afaics. Technically anything provided by a less than a fibre connection is not NBI broadband. Even more so, wireless provision is definitely not broadband, and, of course, wifi from a wireless source is not bb either.

theguzman

Its like watching two bald men fighting over a comb but a cure for baldness has just been invented. Fibre is on the way lads; each day brings us a step closer.

Marlow

BarryM wrote: »

afaics. Technically anything provided by a less than a fibre connection is not NBI broadband. Even more so, wireless provision is definitely not broadband, and, of course, wifi from a wireless source is not bb either.

You have your definitions wrong. Anything 256 kbit and upwards is considered broadband.

High speed broadband as per NGA definition however is at least 30Mbit/s down, 6 Mbit/s up, no more than 10:1 contention.

/M

Johnboy1951

BarryM wrote: »

This whole BCP thing is a bit of a joke.

Their locations were originally suggested as role for 'broadband officers' in the County Councils.

In one location I am aware of, the BCP, County Council style, was to be installed in a community hall. In the recent NBI proposal, it is to be installed in the library.

In both cases 24/7 availability is not possible, except perhaps via wifi. The BCPs are supposed to be fibre [IN DUE COURSE?] afaics. Technically anything provided by a less than a fibre connection is not NBI broadband. Even more so, wireless provision is definitely not broadband, and, of course, wifi from a wireless source is not bb either.

I know of quite a number of those BCPs which are to be installed in primary schools.

Of what use if that to local residents or others?
I can just imaging guys parking up outside rural schools to access internet and the cops being called because they look 'dodgy'!

The schools will close in the afternoon ..... do you really believe they will not shut off power to all devices in the building overnight? == no internet at all even for 'dodgy' looking people parked outside in cars!

Marlow

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

I know of quite a number of those BCPs which are to be installed in primary schools.

As per NBI on the presentation today, the ones in the schools are for wifi access after hours. Maybe with the intention of using the schools for other projects. The purpose was not outlined.

/M

Pique

Marlow wrote: »

Anything 256 kbit and upwards is considered broadband.
/M

It's even worse than that, according to HERE

The term ‘broadband’, in the context of internet access, does not have a specific technical meaning but is used to refer to any infrastructure for high-speed internet access that is always on and faster than traditional dial-up access. The Commission has defined three categories of download speeds:

‘Basic broadband’ for speeds between 144 Kbps and 30 Mbps;
‘Fast broadband’ for speeds between 30 and 100 Mbps; and
‘Ultra-fast broadband’ for speeds higher than 100 Mbps.

The only organisations that I can find that actually define 'broadband' are the FCC (25mbps) and OFCOM (10mbps).

Calling 145kbps 'broadband' would be fine, if this was 1990.

Orebro

Marlow wrote: »

As per NBI on the presentation today, the ones in the schools are for wifi access after hours. Maybe with the intention of using the schools for other projects. The purpose was not outlined.

/M

Maybe for a place to go if you can't get any service whatsoever at home? There are plenty of people in the country in that situation, pretty obvious use once you go outside the M50.

Johnboy1951

Orebro wrote: »

Maybe for a place to go if you can't get any service whatsoever at home? There are plenty of people in the country in that situation, pretty obvious use once you go outside the M50.

Primary schools are not set up for adults to sit at desks to get work done on line.

Who will pay for the extra work making them suitable for such use and then reverting them to school use before the next morning class?

I cannot see any benefit to the general populace from use of schools as hubs.

Marlow

Pique wrote: »

Calling 145kbps 'broadband' would be fine, if this was 1990.

Just because the demand changes, you can not just change the definition for something that already has been defined. You have to call it something different then.

Which is what they did.

Also ... broadband around Europe didn't come about until late '99/early '00 .... and for Ireland ... I believe it was a good bit later. In 1990 it was not defined yet.

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Who will pay for the extra work making them suitable for such use and then reverting them to school use before the next morning class?

I cannot see any benefit to the general populace from use of schools as hubs.

Talk to the department of education. It seems to be partially their baby. At least that is what I gathered from said meeting.

/M