Vol. 431 No. 5
30 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the position regarding the provision of the Multipoint Microwave Distribution System throughout the country and particularly in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
MMDS systems are now operational in counties Louth, Meath, Wexford, Dublin (North), Kildare, Laois/Offaly, Kilkenny/Tipperary, Limerick, Clare, Kerry, Cork, Galway, Roscommon and Sligo, with in excess of 28,500 subscribers in total. The provision of MMDS service to specific areas within an MMDS franchise is a matter for the licensed operator concerned. If it emerges that satisfactory service is not possible in an area from a licensee's primary transmitter, technical solutions for the provision of service unique to each such area must be devised by the licensee with consequent unavoidable delays in the provision of service to these areas.
The position with reference to County Donegal is that the franchisee for Counties Sligo and Donegal commenced transmissions in the Sligo cell a year ago. Coverage of Donegal from the Sligo site is confined to small pockets to the north of Donegal Bay. The franchisee is currently examining suitable transmitter sites to cover the Inishowen/Letterkenny area, the Dunglow/Gweedore/ Bunbeg area and the area around Donegal town.
