Skip to main content
Normal View

Broadband Services Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 May 2013

Thursday, 9 May 2013

Questions (133)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

133. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the plans there are for broadband roll out specifically for the Billinter/Bective area south east of Navan and all other rural areas in counties Meath and Westmeath. [21926/13]

View answer

Written answers

Ireland's telecommunications market has been fully liberalised since 1999 in accordance with the requirements of binding EU Directives. The market has since developed into a well-regulated market, supporting a multiplicity of commercial operators, who provide services over a diverse range of technology platforms. Details of broadband services available in each County, including Counties Meath and Westmeath, can be found on ComReg's website at www.callcosts.ie.

The State can only intervene to ensure access to broadband services in areas where the competitive market has failed to deliver such services, as in the case of the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) and the Rural Broadband Scheme. NBS services are available within 26 of the 106 Electoral Divisions in County Meath, including the Electoral Division of Bective, and within 18 of the 92 Electoral Divisions in County Westmeath, the list of which is set out as follows.

With basic broadband services widely available across Ireland, the focus is now on accelerating the roll out of high speed services. The Government’s National Broadband Plan, which I published in August last, aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed services of at least 30Mbps are available to all of our citizens and businesses, well in advance of the EU’s target date of 2020, and that significantly higher speeds are available to as many homes and businesses as possible.

During the preparation of Ireland's National Broadband Plan, the commercial market operators indicated that they expect to provide 70Mbps to 100Mbps services to 50% of the population by 2015. Since the publication of the Plan, investments by the commercial sector are underway in both fixed line and mobile high speed broadband services, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas.

The Government is also committed in the Plan to investing in areas where high speed services are not commercially viable and will not be provided by the market. In an important milestone towards delivery of this commitment in the Plan, my Department has appointed experts to assist it in the design, planning and procurement of the State-led investment. Intensive technical, financial and legal preparations including stakeholder engagement will be on-going throughout 2013 with a view to the launch of a procurement process in 2014.

Through the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, we are committed to increasing the availability of next generation speeds significantly, with a view to ensuring that all citizens and businesses can participate fully in a digitally enabled society.

I would reiterate that the Government remains committed to ensuring that all parts of Ireland, including the Bellinter and Bective areas as well as all rural areas in Counties Meath and Westmeath, will have at least 30Mbps connectivity, through public or private sector investment, as outlined in the National Broadband Plan.

National Broadband Scheme (NBS)

Electoral Divisions (ED) covered by the NBS in Co. Meath

ED Name

ED Reference No

ARDBRACCAN

ED 167002

BECTIVE

ED 167011

CASTLEKEERAN

ED 167016

CLOGHBRACK

ED 167019

CLONMACDUFF

ED 167020

CROSSKEYS

ED 167022

DRUMCONDRA

ED 167027

KILLALLON

ED 167047

KILLARY

ED 167048

KILLEAGH

ED 167049

KILLYON

ED 167051

KILMORE

ED 167054

KNOCKLOUGH

ED 167056

LOUGHAN

ED 167058

MOYLAGH

ED 167063

RATHKENNY

ED 167075

RATHMORE

ED 167076

TROHANNY

ED 167092

National Broadband Scheme (NBS)

Electoral Divisions (ED) covered by the NBS in Co.Westmeath

ED Name

ED Reference No.

BALLYMORE

ED 237013

BALLYMORIN

ED 237009

BALLYNASKEAGH

ED 237015

CHURCHTOWN

ED 237026

CLONARNEY

ED 237028

CLONLOST

ED 237030

COLLINSTOWN

ED 237031

COOLE

ED 237032

COPPERALLEY

ED 237034

DRUMRANEY

ED 237038

FORE EAST

ED 237044

FORE WEST

ED 237045

GLORE

ED 237049

HILLTOWN

ED 237053

JAMESTOWN

ED 237057

KILCUMNY

ED 237060

KILLARE

ED 237062

KILLULAGH

ED 237066

KILPATRICK

ED 237067

KNOCKDRIN

ED 237071

MULTYFARNHAM

ED 237081

RIVERDALE

ED 237091

STONEHALL

ED 237096

TAGHMON

ED 237099

UMMA

ED 237103

WOODLAND

ED 237105

Top
Share