asked the Minister for Communications the grounds he has for believing that an MMDS franchise holder could successfully sell his service in the areas which can currently pick up both the Irish and UK services without difficulty.
Written Answers. - MMDS Systems.
67.
This will essentially be a matter for the franchise holder. I can accept that the service may be more difficult to sell in areas that can receive good quality signals off air directly from licensed Irish and UK broadcasting transmitters. However, the MMDS operator will be in a position to offer a complete installation, maintenance and back-up service for up to 11 channels including eventually a third Irish channel. I have no reason to believe that MMDS (wireless cable) services will be any less attractive than cable services in multi-channel areas.
68.
asked the Minister for Communications the estimated capital cost of a receiver under MMDS compared with direct broadcasting satellite systems; and when it is expected that satellite transmission might be available in this country.
The estimated capital cost of an MMDS subscriber installation, comprising of aerial, down-converter and decoder is £250 to £300 which will be provided by the MMDS operator. As there is at present no market for direct broadcast satellite (DBS) receivers I have no reliable estimate of the cost to subscribers. The British project is scheduled to be operational late next year and a recent report indicates that the operators hope to have three television channels available before Christmas 1989, at least one of which would be a subscription service. France and Germany also have plans to establish DBS services within the next year or so but it is likely that high gain non-standard reception apparatus would be needed here to receive the transmission from these satellites.
69.
asked the Minister for Communications if he will make available to Members of the Oireachtas details of the assessment which he has carried out on MMDS systems.
It is not the practice to make internal departmental documentation of the kind referred to by the Deputy available. The necessary statutory regulations to provide for the licensing of MMDS and the associated technical specification will, when made, be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas.