Esat BT now has all the requisite DSL enabling equipment in place and its DSL service has been available to all customers within three to four kilometres of the exchange in Drogheda since autumn 2002.
The Deputy should also be aware that Drogheda, Dundalk and Ardee are the test locations being proposed by the County Louth company Digiweb for its Louth wireless local area network – LAN – pilot trials. The Department is exploring the potential of wireless based technologies to promote the deployment of broadband access in Ireland, particularly in remote areas. Pilot projects utilising wireless LAN technologies in diverse user communities, to assess their suitability as a platform for the delivery of advanced broadband services in the regions included, are currently under way. Five projects have been recommended for funding of €260,510, including the Digiweb project. It is intended that the projects will run from January to October 2003. I understand Digiweb is currently carrying out trials in Louth, and specifically in Drogheda, to implement this wireless broadband project.
I should mention that in our liberalised tele communications market it is first a matter for the private sector operators to invest in the appropriate infrastructure and services. The role of Government is to address priority areas where the private sector alone will not deliver the necessary infrastructure within the timescale necessary to critical national development objectives. By providing seed capital the Government has pump-primed investment in parts of the market where it would not have happened otherwise.
To accelerate the delivery of faster and cheaper communications services throughout the country by the private sector, the Minister's Department has run a number of programmes of targeted intervention in recent years. In 1999, under the National Development Plan 1994-1999 and INTERREG II, €26.5 million was made available to support the roll-out of broadband to the regions. A total of 13 projects which rolled-out broadband infrastructure nation-wide to a value of approximately €70 million were supported and are now completed.
One of the projects funded under this measure was undertaken by Esat. The project involved the roll-out of fibre optic cable in many urban areas, including Dundalk. The 4,500 metre Dundalk ring services Dundalk Regional Technical College, the Finnabair industrial estate and the Coes Road industrial estate.
Under the National Development Plan 2000-2006, an indicative amount of €200 million was allocated under the two regional communications and e-commerce measures. Funding under these measures is intended to leverage and accelerate investment in competitive advanced information and communications infrastructure and services. This will enhance the potential for the development of electronic commerce facilities and enable the electronic provision of public services, including education services, virtual libraries, welfare and health services.
A first call for proposals was run in 2000 and on foot of submissions received, nine contracts were signed at the beginning of 2001 which will result in additional investment in the regions in broadband infrastructure and increased availability of broadband services for business and residential users. Projects funded under this call include the construction of a new national fibre backbone by ESB Telecom, which will serve both Drogheda and Dundalk, and accelerating Esat BT's roll-out of DSL in 40 locations, including Drogheda.
The broadband programme announced in March 2002 will result in the construction of open access metropolitan area fibre optic networks in upwards of 19 towns throughout the country. By reducing the cost of access to fibre rings, these networks will facilitate the provision by the private sector of "always on", low cost and high speed Internet access to consumers, educational establishments, industry and business. It is expected that these projects will be completed progressively over the next two years at a cost in the region of €65 million. The networks will offer open access at affordable prices to all service providers wishing to enter the broadband market. I hope that gives the Deputy some additional information.
