There was a generaI welcome in Connemara area this week with the announcement that the 3 Ireland bid had beaten the Eircom tender to win a
€10 million contract to supply broadband internet services to thousands of homes and businesses in outtlying areas of the country under the National Broadband Scheme (NBS).
The NBS aims to bring highspeed intemet services to about 10% of the population that cant currently avail of them. Most of
those affected are located in remote rural areas that telecoms fmns deem uneconomical for the provision of broadband
infrastructure. There are many, however, who believe that Eircom had stalled the process once the company was privatised
and bought by the Austral ian conglomerate, Babcock. Even areas quite close to cities and large built-up communities found it
impossible to get a service from that company. In July, BT Ireland, pulled out of the bidding process. However, BT lreland
provides network technical services to 3 Ireland, and will be indirectly involved in the NBS from that perspective.
The Department of Communications and 3 Ireland will iron out final contract details over the next couple of weeks before it is
formally awarded the deal.
Implementation of the project is expected to begin almost immediately, but it will probably be mid-2010 before the scheme is
fully operational and that timetable could stretch to
2011.
3 Ireland has been aggressively rolling out mobile broadband products over the past year, as have competitors Vodafone and
02. Mobile broadband bas helped boost Irelands overall internet penetration rate, while its take-up rate has been the fastest in
Europe.
Eircom yesterday said that it is "extremely disappointed" with the department's decision, and claimed that its bid
had been supported by the 'most significant' regional interests groups that will benefit from the NBS. Connemara activist, Clir
Seosamh Ó Cuaig, disagrees:
"I'm delighted with this decision, having travelled to Northern lreland more than two years ago and seen the 100%
roll-out there, provided by BT. I have been pressing for a similar wireless system to be provided nationwide in the Republic
ever since.
"I dispute the figure of 10%, however, as this is based on information from providers such as Eircom who did not necessarily want the whole picture exposed. The numbers without proper broadband are much higher. Nevertheless, I welcome today's development and will continue to underline the urgency of Connemara's case."
