National Broadband Ireland : implementation and progress

New report from the Irish Academy of Engineering says major infrastructural developments, including roads and a 5G network, are necessary to ensure balanced regional development.

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On telecoms, the group said it was not clear whether the National Broadband Plan (NBP) would have sufficient capacity to facilitate "the increasingly sophisticated software" likely to be required in working from home in future, and added that well-developed 5G networks could help in meeting such needs.

The development of a wide-ranging 5G network would require "huge investment" without which the urban-rural divide could widen further, undermining the government's aim to rebalance development between the regions and the greater Dublin area.

BROADBAND

The development of new, large-scale telecoms networks has evolved significantly over the last 10 years and new networks are now almost exclusively focused on data centre to data centre. To date, no such long-haul networks exist outside the Greater Dublin Area (with the exception of the Aurora Telecom network). The lack of availability of high quality, large bandwidth and the higher cost of broadband in the regions compared to Dublin is a major impediment in attracting large entities such as data centres into the regions. This is despite the obvious advantages which the regions enjoy over Dublin in relation to being more adjacent to the sources of power generation and the cost and availability of housing.

It is not clear whether the National Broadband Plan will have sufficient capacity to facilitate the increasingly sophisticated software likely to be required in working from home in the future. 5G technology can benefit smart agriculture, tourism (entertainment / media), energy (rural generation), mobility (autonomous driving and infotainment), healthcare (assisted living) – all have particular relevance in rural societies, not just for the inhabitants but also for tourists and business investors.

5G is not just the cellular network, it also requires huge investment in traditional backhaul networks to create a ‘fibre-deep’ infrastructure across all regions of the country. If this is not done, it could further widen the urban-rural divide and impact negatively on the development rebalancing envisaged in the NPF.

Recommendations:

- The State should establish at an early date a not-for-profit, commercially-run State entity to manage and oversee all State telecom/broadband assets, which will be empowered to establish a National Broadband Backhaul Network, managed by a special purpose agency.

- The agency should establish an open-access backhaul fibre grid network to service regional Ireland with high quality national and international digital connectivity, using and upgrading existing and appropriate State-owned networks, such as the TII duct network, capable of connecting all international fibre cables landing in Ireland.

The State of Ireland 2021 recommendations

Expedite the National Broadband Plan

Prioritise more populated areas for the rollout of the plan

Investigate the viability of low earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband as an interim broadband solution for rural communities

If viable, offer subsidies (through for example, a tax credit) for satellite broadband while the network is being built