Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Did N.I. get gov funding?

Options
  • 06-04-2005 7:55pm
    #1
    jwt
    Registered Users Posts: 849 ✭✭✭


    In an interview I took part in, McRedmond stated that N.I. achieved it's current bb rollout with the aid of UK Gov funding. At the time I wasn't in a position to question this too hard but I later made some enquiries in civil service and gov circles and NOBODY is aware of any funding in N.I.

    One person quiet highly ranked went so far as to call it "a load of drivel".

    So, is there any sugestion that N.I. received UK GOV funding?


    John


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Blaster99
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,630 ✭✭✭Blaster99


    There are a few articles about it:

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/25/ni_broadband_coverage

    http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/broadband/0,39020342,39150002,00.htm

    all saying much the same:

    The Northern Ireland Executive announced today that it intends to live the dream of 100 percent broadband with the news it has picked BT to supply the high-speed Internet technology to every single home and business in the country.

    The contract was awarded by the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) and means BT will ensure 100 percent 512Kbps broadband access for anyone that wants it -- however rural their location -- right across the province by the end of 2005. The deal is a multimillion pound contract but no figure has been disclosed.


  • Options
    #3
    eircomtribunal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,144 ✭✭✭eircomtribunal


    BT's Bill Murphy said in an interview on RTE that a similar scheme would be doable in the Republic for some 200 million. That might give some indication about the amount BT took for NI, roughly a third or 70 million.

    Now think about this: Eircom gets about 7 euros more per line rental customer per month than BT gets in NI/UK. With some 1,600,000 lines in ROI that amounts to a yearly "surplus" of € 134,000,000 compared with NI line rental.

    In other words, Eircom gets automatically every one and a half years the equivalent amount BT has in all likelihood got as a once off payment through the higher line rental – and is not delivering anything equivalent to BT's bb delivery. Eircom even wants to no longer deliver normal telephony as a Universal Service.

    P.


Advertisement