Mr. Frank McManus, Head of Broadband for BT in Northern Ireland, was in Galway this week to address a meeting of the Western Regional Authority on the subject of Broadband.

In his presentation, Mr. McManus outlined to the forum how 100% broadband coverage for the North's population of 1.7 million people had been achieved in a period of less than three years. The completion of the project means that Northern Ireland is the first region in Europe with 100% Broadband access.

The Northern Ireland Broadband role model marks an amazing contrast to the situation that exists in Galway and the West of Ireland - as members of the authority were anxious to stress.

As Mr. McManus explained, the programme and timescale for action was phenomenal....both in terms of how quickly the service was supplied and its quality. "In January 2003, there were just 7, 500 users of Broadband in the North at a time when availability was 44%. In July 2003, the NI. Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment (DETI) launched an initiative to extend Broadband and awarded the contract to BT to extend the availability of Broadband throughout Northem Ireland." He continued: "On March 29 in 2004, Mr. Ian Pearson, MP and then Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Development vowed that by the end of 2005, the Govemment would make Broadband 100% available and sure enough they delivered on schedule."

Irrespective of location in Northern Ireland, ail network exehanges were enabled to make Broadband available to absolutely everyone. Upgrades to the network were carried out and satellite technology was introduced where necessary.

"We really marketed che idea of having Broadband as a normal part of life and liaised with all interest groups, such as town councils. It was a tremendous effort and we aimed to create a sense of excitement and anticipation among the population and we specifically targeted certain groups such as the aged and retired people, to show them that they could enjoy the henefits and capabilities of the technology also."

The Irish Government are currently engaged in a 200 million Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) Programme to supply Broadband, a project that is being implemented on a phased hasis. The next stage of the Programme will bring the high speed, fibre optic telecommunications networks to a further five towns in Galway by the end of the year. The Galway towns earmarked to gain the benefits of hroadband are Ballinasloe, Loughrea, Athenry, Gort and Clifden.

Fianna Fáil Councillor and Western Regional Authority Member Tom Reilly highlighted the damaging economic effects for Tuam, due to being left out of the current group of towns heing equipped with Broadband. "Tuam simply must be included in the next phase of expansion of the Broadband system. The town is suffering in economie and industrial terms, due to the inadequacy of our present Broadband system. It is a problem flot just for prospective businesses, it is also a major loss to existing businesses."

Independent Councillor, and Western Regional Authority Member, Seosamh Ó Cuaig also slammed the Government over the Iack of progress on implementing Broadband."The work on rollout of cables is proceeding impossibly slowly throughout the West of Ireland and it is time to stop accepting excuses from Eircom on this issue," he said.

He continued: "The fact that Northern Ireland now boasts 100% Broadband coverage is because the Government decided to act; they invited tenders for the rollout of Broadband and received 27 tenders, before choosing British Telecom to carry out the work.

"Another aspect of our Broadband extension programme was that it would be equitable, insofar as factors such as availability, quality and cost were concerned. There are no exceptions. Anybody that wants Broadband can get it."

Clir. Reilly proposed a motion, which was carried, that a delegation from the Authority visit Dublin to meet Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey TD, in an effort to speed up the delivery of Broadband to the West of Ireland. "The Department of Communications has a lot to learn from thc wonderful system in Northern Lreland and we simply must put in place a similar high quality system, not just in Galway, but throughout the whole country," said Clir.. Reilly.

Clir. Ó Cuaig similarly succeeded in proposing that representatives from the Western Regional Authority travel to Belfast to meet with the members of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to discuss how a similarly efficient system of Broadband might be implemented in the West of Ireland.

"Everybody present at Mr. McManus' presentation was extremely impressed at how quickly the system was put in place and it just demonstrates that where there is a political will, anything cari be achieved and we are looking forward to meeting with the Government to discuss this issue. If Northern lreland can have such a world class system of Broadband, then why cant we here in the Republic," said Clir. Ó Cuaig.

"What was achieved in Northern Ireland is absolurely fantastic and it just shows how far behind we are on this issue in the Republic of Ireland. Action is urgently required from Govemment or businesses will look to set-up in places other than Galway and the West of Ireland," concluded Clir. Reilly.

Séamus Dolan - Cúradh Chonnachtach 23/6/2005

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Baile

Tá an líon daoine atá ag baint leasa as an gcóras leathanbhanda i dTuaisceart na hÉireann méadaithe ó 7,500 tri bliana ó shin go dti 160,000 anois.

TharIa seo mar gur shocraigh an rialtas ó thuaidh go dtabharfaí deis do chuile theaghlach sna 6 chontae fáil a bheith acu ar sheirbhis leathanbhanda teileafóin.

Ach, ni hé amháin gur cuireadh an trealamh agus an córas ar fáil; eagraíodh feachtas freisin ag moladh do dhaoine leas a bhaint as an tseirbhís nua. Ar an gcaoi sin, méadaíodh líon na gcustaiméarai a cheannaigh an tseirbhis freisin.

Thug bainisteoir sinsearach de chuid British Telecom, Frank Mc Manus cuntas ar an gcaoí ar leathnaíodh an tseirbhis go teicniúil....agus ar an gcaoi ar dúisíodh suim an phobail san leathanbhanda ag cruinniú do Údarás Forbartha Réigiúnach an Iarthair an tseachtain seo.

Bhi an-mholadh ag baill Údarás Forbartha an Iarthair ar an obair a rinneadh ó thuaidh agus dúirt na Comhairleoiri Contae, Michael Mullen, Peter Feeney agus Seosamh Ó Cuaig go mba mhór an náire é nach raibh a leithéid de bheart déanta i bPoblacht na hÉireann.

Ach, cé go dtug Frank McManus go leor léargais ar an gcaoí a ndeachas i mbun na hoibre ó thuaidh, niorbh fhéidir a fháil amach cén costas a bhain leis, go baraimieach. Thug an Rialtas £10m sterling do British Telecom leis an obair a dhéanamh ach chaith an comhlacht féin suim mhór airgid leis freisin.

Dúirt Frank McManus ón gcomhlacht nach bhféadfadh sé a ra cé mhéid a chaith British Telecom ach tá tuairimíocht ann go bhféadfadh na scórtha milliún a bheith i gceist. Tuige a ndeama siad é sin?

"Tá 171 malartán sa Tuaisceart," a deir Frank McManus. "Bhi 60 acu sin réitithe le haghaidh an chórais bhanda leathan i 2002 ach ba dheacair a rá arbh fhiú a dhul ar aghaidh agus airgead a chaitheamh ag feistiú agus ag réiteach na gceanna eile. Ach, nuair a d'iarr an Roinn Tráchtála agus Tionscail go gcuirfeadh comhlachtai praghsanna isteach le chuile áit sa Tuaisceart a thabhairt isteach sa gcóras leathanbhanda, chonaic muid go raibh deis ann."

Chuir os cionn 20 comhlacht as Éirinn agus thar lear suim san obair. Thairg British Telecom go ndéanfadh siadsan an obair ar £1Om. Ba é sin an praghas ab ísle agus fuair siad an conradh.

Thosaigh siad i 2003 agus tá an obair déanta anois. Idir shreangáin snáithín optach, córais raidió agus córas satailite, i gcorr-áit i bhfad amach ó mhalartáin, tá fáil ar an tseirhhis leathanhhanda i chuile theach sa tuaisceart anois. Ach, chúns a bhí an ohair sin ar hun, bhi feachtas láidir ann freisin le aird an phobail a tharraingt ar an tseirbhis. "Thug an t-airgead ón Státchiste deis dúinne cur leis an airgead sin againn féin. Bhi muid in ann a dhul ar aghaidh ansin agus trealamh a chur sna malartáin a bhi fágtha dá uireasa," adeir Frank Mc Manus. "Anois tá muid in ann airgead a shaothrú as leathnú na seirbhise." Tá os cionn céad comhlacht ag tabhairt seirbhisi leathanbhanda ríomhaireachta ó thuaidh agus baineann British Telecom táille amach as úsáid na malartán agus an trealaimh atá acu féin.

"Creidim go méadóidh an líon daoine atá ag úsáid an chórais go mór amach anseo," adeir McManus. "Le cois an airgid, tá rudai eile ann. Mar shampla, tá muid i mbun feachtais go mbeadh fáil ag daoine atá ag teananmh amach sna blianta ar riomhairi sa gcaoi agus go mbeadh ceangal acu le daoine eile. Déanann an leathanbhanda éascaiocht dóibh".

Socraíodh ag cruinniú Údarás Forbartha an Iarthair go bhféachfaí le cruinniú a shocré leis an Aire Cumarsáide, Nollaig Ó Diomasaigh le ceist an chóras leathanbhanda sa bPoblacht a phié leis - agus go ndéanfai éileamh go ndéanfai aithris ar an obair atá déanta ó thuaidh.

Foinse 25/5/2006