National Broadband Ireland : implementation and progress

wexfordman2 · 08-02-2022 6:44pm

No, it does not make for a "delicate system", the practice of overhead cable for vital infrastructure is older than the state itself, this is a well tried and tested solution!

Shoog · 08-02-2022 6:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118601560#Comment_118601560

Living out in the country and suffering from multiple line failures a year put the lie to this confidence. Before we switched away from Eir landline we lost service for two months of our last years subscription. Thats was the worst we had in nearly twenty years but it was a rare year that we didn't lose service for a few weeks.

Our electricity supply has become much more reliable after significant investment from ESB Networks, but the NIB is piggybacking on the decrepit Eir pole network.

listermint · 08-02-2022 7:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118599939#Comment_118599939

See what I mean by false agnostic. The tender process was now flawed because it didn't favour one company EIR. This is absolutely gold mine stuff. And bizarre.

Gunner3629 · 08-02-2022 8:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118601602#Comment_118601602

There is nothing wrong with putting wires on poles. What do you suggest instead, underground cables all around the rural countryside That would extend the rollout by another decade. They can also get accidentally dug up and damaged too you know. I think you are the perfect Starlink candidate. Maybe Elon can supply you electricity too :)

wexfordman2 · 08-02-2022 8:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118601602#Comment_118601602

Not the same experience I have had at all, living in the sticks for over 20 years, yes I've had a few outages, wind blown down trees and knocked the power out, but that's not as a result of a decrepit network, or a "fragile network", running cables on am overhead pole is a solid, well practiced and reliable method, used worldwide, to claim it is unstable or fragile is clutching at straws imho.

Pique · 08-02-2022 8:47pm

On a happier note, I got connected yesterday (Roscommon DA). Twas supposed to happen beginning of December but due to the fact that I have external insulation (which they can't/won't drill through) and no duct meant I had to postpone till the duct was in place. Thankfully a mate with a digger did the deed and I'm bloody delighted. Went for the 500mb package and am solidly happy. Hitting 400 dl on my phone and haven't bothered checking via ethernet to my laptop.

The KN team came with an installer and a van with hoist arm which they used to cut branches while I helped pull the fibre with the installer. He said they have generally 4 jobs a day scheduled but sometimes awkward installs mean they can't hit all 4 in one day. He also had plenty of encounters with people blaming KN/NBI/Councils/anyone for blocked ducts on their private property and just expect the installers to clear it with a click of their fingers. He was surprised I even knew the term 'ONT' so it gives an idea of the level of understanding of the normal customer they encounter.

Anyway, having said all that, I am no longer in need of my mobile router and extension cables. I'll be sticking them on Adverts or Donedeal in a few days but figured someone on here might be interested. PM me if you are.

Teltonika 4G-RUT240 Router. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B071YPFNST

5m extension for LTE antenna https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B073TXBS7V

10m extension for wifi antenna https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01L7OMRI0

I had the router at an upstairs window. One LTE antenna was on the router and the other was run to another upstairs room window to maximise signal collection. The Wifi antenna was then run downstairs using the extension cable into my office. It worked well for me and gave me at least 20mbps and sometimes up to 50mbps whereas my phone would only ever really get 6-10 indoors downstairs.

It's been a long road for me having originally connected with Eir across copper in Jan 2010 giving 1.4mbps. To think I could technically get a connection 1000 times that today if I wanted really is astonishing.

listermint · 08-02-2022 8:51pm

Nice one. It's great to see positive outcomes. I'm on the long road. But is what it is.

heavydawson · 08-02-2022 11:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118601373#Comment_118601373

Sensible is relative. I'm terms of cost effectiveness and speed the overhead route is compelling for the rural use case. If money or time were no object, then ducting would be the way to go....

Unless you go wireless/Starlink.... But that's a whole other can of worms.

I'm surprised OpenEir don't employ the services of hedge cutters on a semi permanent basis across their network. Probably cheaper to fix in a reactive fashion than prevent issues occurring with regular maintenance though....

ShaunC · 09-02-2022 1:09am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117653760#Comment_117653760

Latest update is March, but there hasn't been any work on my road yet. Luckily I didn't hold my breath

Bass Reeves · 09-02-2022 2:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118601693#Comment_118601693

Well any tender process where all the bidders pulled out but one has to be questioned. As well it was held up because they over defined the intervention area.

As well at the start selling point was at the end the state would own a state of the art telecommunications network.

The real laugh is Eir is walking away with a fortune, it will be the big winner in this. It only worry now is that this shower will not manage to hold onto the contract.

As I said Eir was always going to be involved. If from what I heard d is true they will collect up to a billion in the initial phase of the contract. When its completed and running they will be getting a 100 million+ a year for access to there external network.

SungSam7 · 09-02-2022 3:02am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603646#Comment_118603646

Did you not even pass the build stage or survey stage yet?

The Cush · 09-02-2022 9:36am

New NBI pre-order free-connection promotion for service providers starting end of June (NBI Promotions Document v1.7).

Pre-order period dates from up to 90 (ninety) days prior to the Ready for Service (RFS) date to 14 (fourteen) days prior to the RFS date only. From 14 days prior to the RFS date, the pre-order window will close, and pre-orders will no longer be available for selection

The Pre-order period is anticipated to be between 60 and 90 days however in certain circumstances this may be reduced due to the main build advancing quicker than forecast.

ShaunC · 09-02-2022 12:43pm

Jaysus I'm in "network build in progress" since last July. The feckers haven't looked at my road yet

Nolars · 09-02-2022 1:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604870#Comment_118604870

No new poles or anything?

heavydawson · 09-02-2022 4:16pm

They've only gone and removed Digiweb and SKY again.... Are they really that incompetent?

tipp36 · 09-02-2022 5:39pm

I noticed that they’ve gone now a few days again. God only knows what they doing

NBAiii · 09-02-2022 6:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118606149#Comment_118606149

Their "fix" was to comment out the piece of code that I referred to in my previous post. Yesterday the comment marks were removed from the code yet the code remained unchanged, complete with the typo I posted about.

Now the comments are back and Digiweb and Sky have returned. I wonder were they contacted again.

EarWig · 09-02-2022 6:59pm

The walls have eyes.....

heavydawson · 09-02-2022 8:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118606943#Comment_118606943

I contacted Digiweb on Twitter about it

dollylama · 09-02-2022 9:59pm

Have NBI completed the PoP backbone build yet? I ask as I see some contractors currently hiring for upcoming fibre work along mostly national primary roads so I'm assuming it's NBI related

ShaunC · 09-02-2022 11:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118605093#Comment_118605093

Nothing, nil, nada. There are no poles on my local road and no sign of anything to start happening.

Gunner3629 · 10-02-2022 1:02pm

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/national-broadband-plan-will-be-completed-by-2026-operator-says-1.4798727

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) will be completed by its target date of the end of 2026 despite roll-out being behind significantly schedule with just 7,000 premises connected to date, the company overseeing the project has insisted.

Gunner3629 · 10-02-2022 3:15pm

The issue of encroachment by other providers was discussed at length. Mr Hendrick said there was the potential for 31,000 premises being “overbuilt” by Eir — some of that attributable to already existing infrastructure — which could see the €100m encroachment contingency fund tapped.

However, he said just because a home was overbuilt did not mean that Eir would necessarily provide internet to that premises as “the cost of connection may be too high”. To date, the encroachment fund — which forms part of a €500m contingency fund — has not been accessed, he said.

Source: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40804998.html

amdaley28 · 10-02-2022 4:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595792#Comment_118595792

UPDATE: A K & N van with two lads came out a few minutes ago. One of them produced a 5ft crowbar from the back of the van. I was wondering where's he going with that ?

When they discovered the manhole cover was about 3 or 4 feet down they said it wasn't their job to dig holes like this. The heavy gang are coming out next week or the week after with a digger to do the work.

Three attempts they've now had to install fibre & still haven't even made a dent in it. These lads made a round trip of 130km for this today. At this stage all I can do is laugh because how these lads are making any money I haven't a clue because they said they only get paid when the job is complete 🙄

I was wondering if Netflix or Disney+ would be interested in doing a mini series on it.

Bass Reeves · 10-02-2022 5:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118611282#Comment_118611282

A lot of ulities now pay more or less by task. You are still entitled to the minimum wage. But by gett a certain amount of tasks completed in a day you achieve s higher rate.

However bugs jobs like digging out a manhole eats time. Lads will move on to the next job and complete it. Hardest part is when you have an hour left in the day and get a job you have to access whether it is possible to complete it or not as there is no guarantee you will receive that task next day

Shoog · 10-02-2022 9:22pm

Having seen it from the inside I can attest that there is crazy levels of inefficiency in job allocation. It's chaos inside NBI and that wastes loads of money. Whole days are regularly wasted due to poor job planning.

Ger222 · 10-02-2022 9:29pm

Apologies if this has been covered previously.

Am in the Blessington DA, so am slowing seeing works progressing with an expected connection window of April-June this year (fingers crossed). Can anybody clarify the extent of the connection works covered by the NBI plan. House is approx 80m from the roadside with the existing phone connection entering the side of the house via a duct, however there is no evidence of any duct at the roadside pole and the cable appears to be simply buried in the ground and runs across a small field (ours). Are NBI responsible for the costs of running the fibre to the house, which may well require a new duct being installed from the pole at the roadside to the house.

EarWig · 10-02-2022 10:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118611282#Comment_118611282

All these lads.

I don't think I've ever come across a woman.

db · 10-02-2022 10:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612743#Comment_118612743

Friends of ours had a similar problem and KN sent a team in to dig a trench and lay a new cable. They were expecting to have to do the groundworks themselves so they were delighted to have it done at part of the install.

Bass Reeves · 10-02-2022 11:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613191#Comment_118613191

This is part of the craziness of the NBI contract. it is also slowing the contract down. If you have a duct out of the house NBI will go accross your private property to bring fiber BB to you. You will have lads in really rural spots getting BB having it bought underground a couple of kilometres.

National Broadband Ireland : implementation and progress

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