10 Digital Ireland March 2004 Broadband Ireland: Service providers

BROADBAND BRIEFS No knocking Knockmore Life in the fast lane ONE of the very first community broadband schemes is about to be switched on in Knockmore, Co Mayo. The Knockmore initiative has set up a Community Network Society to bring affordable broadband By Leslie Faughnan broadband club had just biggest challenge to take up. access to the community on a non-profit basis. “We should be up 13,000 members. This year The blunt fact is that most and running in a few weeks with the first 30 or so households BROADBAND may be the the take-up speed has begun Irish business people have dominant technology topic of to accelerate at last with Ahern never personally experienced participating,” says chairman Paul Cunnane. Initial backhaul for the the day, but it’s still a fairly pointing out that there has the performance and advant- internet connection is expected to be based on a 2Mbps ADSL exclusive club that only passed been a 33pc weekly increase ages of always-on broadband. connection in Ballina relayed by wireless to the first node in the the 40,000-member mark a since broadband packages of It is confused with the simpler Knockmore region. Unlike broadcast wireless networking, needing at € few weeks ago. According to 40 per month were notions of ‘making internet least one high mast in line of sight, this project is based on a mesh introduced. Prices are contin- performance faster’ and the Minister for Commun- system where each access point is also a repeater linking to the next ications, Marine and Natural uing to inch downwards as perhaps unnecessarily fancy Resources, Dermot Ahern TD, resellers (and re-branders) of stuff such as multimedia and in a line of sight chain — neighbour passes on the signals to Ireland had a grand total of the Eircom service enter the streaming video. Remote neighbour, in effect. 42,000 broadband customers market that should lead to access from anywhere using as of 8 March last. even greater take up. secure virtual private network Membership of the club There is also an emerging technology, one of the single A case for local cable ranges from enlightened self- but distinct possibility that most valuable applications, is employed and residential ADSL as we now have it may hardly appreciated at all. “We CROSSAN Cable in Longford and Casey Cablevision in Dungarvan users all the way up to the have missed the boat — or at have not really got the have enthusiastically entered the cable broadband market and are mighty multinationals, but least have been overtaken to a broadband story across,” con- targeting local business and home users. “We have over 3,000 cable with notoriously low take up fair degree by other technolo- cedes Esat BT’s Ray Tobin, subscribers in the area,” says Brian Crossan. “We already have over by small to medium-sized gies, just as ISDN barely had key accounts manager. “And 100 broadband customers, both business and home, even though time to become a standard there certainly has not been enterprises still. The minister we are not officially launching the service until the end of the said there had been a dramatic and universally available enough competition to help and sustained take up of service before DSL technology the information process month.” Crossan is offering a two-way service with 1Mbps broadband and flat-rate began to hit the headlines. along. Now we are even seeing downstream for just €39.90 a month to homes and €99 excluding services within the past six Wireless services, encouraged another problem because of Vat for business, both with maximum 20:1 contention. In months “following his initia- by the growth of Wi-Fi lack of education — SMEs Dungarvan, Casey Cablevision has been offering its Cablesurf.com tives in driving down prices hotspots, offer similar services opting for consumer ADSL broadband product for some years, now priced at €40 for home and rates to ADSL but with products and then being and promoting competition”. users and €90 for business with fixed internet protocol addresses Many will argue that the greater flexibility and speed of disappointed because the credit should be more widely installation. performance is not what they and other services. What is really impressive is that Cablesurf is shared but it is undoubtedly The 19 metropolitan area expected.” offering speeds of up to 4Mbps. true that the Government has networks around the country, Esat BT is of course a full added its weight to the ESB Telecoms entry as an spectrum telco, so its broad- Commission for Communi- infrastructure provider and so Unbundling a local telephone exchange and making ready for ADSL. (Picture courtesy of BT band products start up in the Fastest flats in Ireland on mean that wireless carrier level stratosphere and cations Regulation’s pressure and VisualMedia) A BROADBAND communications service has been created exclusively on Eircom to reduce its rates broadband offers entrepre- descend through fibre con- to other operators so that the neurial opportunities at local nectivity and leased lines to for the residents of the 330 apartments at Custom House Harbour. market could be stirred up. level. Backhaul internet access DSL technology and fixed The opportunity was spotted by Allan Brennan of Wireless Projects In truth the business is then easily and competitively ‘In truth the business market for broadband wireless, which Tobin believes that made the pitch to the owners last year. These apartments are market for broadband has available through the fibre will quickly attain a great deal mostly for renting and the addition of the fastest residential internet been surprisingly sluggish, rings. In this context the has been surprisingly sluggish, with all of importance in the Irish access in Ireland has undoubtedly added to the market attraction of with all telecoms companies €65m the Government is market. “We are seriously the properties. Invisible Access is the brand for a secure wireless conceding that they had spending on fibre infrastruc- telecoms companies conceding that they had pursuing the partnership overestimated the pent-up ture as part of the National route, talking to communities broadband service launched earlier this month that gives users a demand that would be Development Plan is an overestimated the pent-up demand that would and local commercial 4Mbps internet connection for an astonishing price of just €99 released by the initial and investment that cannot but interests — including Cham- excluding Vat annually. The five blocks are served by over 40 wireless much-delayed rollout of DSL have a major economic bers of Commerce — so that access points and each apartment has what is technically a virtual multiplier effect on business be released by the initial and much-delayed we can provide the technology services in 2002. The industry private network connection over Wi-Fi to the base. consensus appears to be that — starting with the ICT sector and internet backhaul for the clear understanding of the itself at regional level. rollout of DSL’ local networks.” He is inclined daily value of broadband — so A good example of some of to believe that this approach € visible and obvious to larger these points is business ISP sized enterprises (SMEs). Its of our customers have been Dublin Area in April and a is more realistic than the 25m for group broadband organisations and multina- Netsource, the No. 3 provider services are also sold through opting for the entry-level presence in Cork within a Eircom ‘trigger programme’, EARLIER this month Communications Minister Dermot Ahern TD tionals — simply had not pen- of DSL after the Eircom and the established IT resellers product — they understand further few weeks,” Louise which invites smaller com- announced a €25m three-year scheme to help deliver high-speed Esat BT. A current level of channel, which marketing from the beginning what their McKeown says, adding that munities to register an inter- etrated the lower end of the internet into smaller communities – only communities under business market. 2,000 business subscribers manager Louise McKeown own likely needs are,” she says. the whole strategy is to offer est in broadband: “Offering The price barrier was a gives it a firm foothold, driven believes is a huge strength It is telling that Netsource has broadband internet access broadband to communities 1,500 population are eligible and there is no minimum threshold. serious impediment to experi- by the lowest rates in the because the value of entered the wireless broad- though the customers’ under 1,500 is fine in theory The scheme offers 55pc capital funding, the maximum allowed ment and only the most tech- market and a two-month broadband is convincingly band market: “We expect to channel of choice. but with trigger levels of 300 under EU rules, with half of any grant payable when a scheme is savvy consumers were wiling rolling contract that takes any explained and demonstrated have our 2Mbps corporate The whole question of or more it is a bit disingenu- ‘commercially’ launched and the balance when minimum to pay the premium for the uncertainty out of the deci- at the customers’ local level. wireless service available market education is belatedly ous because that is often subscriber targets are met. service. Six months ago the sion for small to medium- “That is why just about 45pc throughout the Greater being recognised as the simply unrealistic.” Making the right internet connection

A map of Esat BT’s network Infrastructure is €199, self-installation is €99. All for business and residential users. Price limits, user number or other constraints. 2048/128Kbps — €549. In all cases the consumer prices include Vat. differentiation is principally on numbers Installation is €299 standard, subject to site equipment cost is €1,290 and installa- of users, so Business Solo costs €80 per survey. tion charge €299. Netsource month while Business 1 (two to five www.netsource.ie users) is €105 and Business 2 (six-plus ESB Mediasat users) is €165. The 1MB Business 3 www.esbtelecom.ie www.mediasat.ie NETSOURCE is a fast-growing provider € of all internet access products, specialising product for unlimited users is 199. All ESSENTIALLY a ‘carriers’ carrier’ ESB THE Mediasat range of broadband DSL business services carry an initial setup fee in broadband over DSL or leased line. New € Telecom offers high bandwidth connec- products covers a wide range of speed pricing and bundles for business start at of 365, all fees are payable quarterly tions up to 34Mbps to other providers and service options from this enterpris- €33 monthly (standard 512/128Kbps) and advance. Residential users get a (for example Irish Broadband, Smart ing Cork-based firm specialising in € 512/512Kbps connection for €60 run up to 159 for 2048/256Kbps), with € Telecoms) and larger organisations. But satellite services for business from small an initial self-install (€81.81) or engineer excluding Vat and 265 installation its extensive fibre network also offers office, home office up using the Astra install (€165) charge for all products. Price (including external receiver and 20- wholesale rates to possible local European satellite. Entry-level products progression is based on speed plus metre cable). providers, resellers, branded services or combine satellite download (ie one-way contention ratios (48:1 or 24:1), download community and co-operative networks service) with a flat-rate internet access limits (8GB, 16GB, unlimited), equipment Irish Broadband that can then offer a wireless service to product from Eircom.net or other (modem or four-port router) and website www.irishbroadband.ie end users. internet service provider. So monthly hosting and ISDN backup. Virus and spam WIRELESS pioneer Irish Broadband now costs start at just €15 for the satellite trap service is €30 monthly extra. All covers almost all of Greater Dublin Area stream plus the €29.99 for the Eircom Netsource business services have a two- and has just added Cork City with Satellite flat-rate access (both excluding Vat). month rolling contract. The residential Limerick, Galway, Dundalk, Drogheda More serious business users will look at offering is €30 excluding Vat. and Waterford to follow by mid-year. Its Aramiska two-way services with router for shared Breeze business services start at www.gvd.ie use on a local area network. Perlico Broadband 512/512Kbps for small office, home office ARAMISKA.NET is a leading Europe- www.perlico.com with a 20:1 contention ratio at €75 € wide satellite broadband internet service LAUNCHING 1 April, Perlico Commun- monthly and 149 initial installation and for business sold in Ireland by GVD, a Co Cable ications will offer Perlico Broadband, connection. The Breeze Business offering Dublin specialist in wireless and internet lowers contention to 4:1 and adds web and Chorus Cablenet essentially its branded version of € firewall products. Aramiska offers three Eircom’s product but at competitive price email hosting for 135 while Breeze service packages: 512/128Kbps at €299, www.chorus.ie points of €45 excluding Vat monthly for Business Plus moves up to 1Mbps 1024/256Kbps at €399 and 2048/ CHORUS is currently providing its down/up speed, leased-line backup and € € business with an unlimited number of € 512Kbps at 549. Installation is 750. Cablenet cable modem service in Kil- users sharing the connection over a local disaster recovery at 250 monthly. There Superficially more expensive, this is kenny, Clonmel and Thurles. It gives a area network. Its consumer product will are no traffic caps or users sharing the actually a managed service with guaran- 512Kbps/128Kbps service for €35 be €34.95 including Vat with an 8GB connection. Irish Broadband claims teed speeds, unlimited data transfer and including Vat over the TV charges with a download cap, double the standard leased-line equivalent services at DSL user numbers, email service and web €50 connection fee. These areas are quota. Perlico has been offering a teleph- prices and its wireless service allows for hosting, virtual private network capable, accepting new subscribers, including Norton Security 2004. Connection bespoke solutions, for example 1:1 DSL charges €90 and €80 respectively. ony service to business and residential firewalled, virus scanned and with 24x7 businesses at the current €75 rate, which customers since 2001. The DSL service uncontended at any speed, branch connec- Freephone support. Contention is 8:1 includes support, fixed internet protocol Telephony bundles (all-Ireland calls with tions and so on, with quick installation. Esat BT no limits) start at an additional €33.15 will be national and the company intends € down, 4:1 up with no latency issues. addresses, email and so on. This pricing to offer very attractive DSL internet plus The residential offerings are 30 is expected to be reviewed downwards www.esatbt.ie monthly. Consumer prices include Vat. excluding Vat monthly (512/128Kbps, ESAT BT has DSL-enabled over 40 telephony bundle rates to both business Digiweb shortly in line with the general broad- and residential markets. 40:1 ratio) and 512/512Kbps or 1024/ band market. There are current plans to exchanges in its own right as well as Eircom 512Kbps speeds and 20:1 or 8:1 ratios for www.digiweb.ie retailing Eircom’s wholesale product www.eircom.ie € € THIS two-way high-speed internet service provide similar services in Cork, UTV Internet 35 and 48.40 respectively, ideal for Limerick and nine other towns by since the ‘final mile’ to customers’ EIRCOM has now DSL-enabled over a from Digiweb offers speeds up to 1Mbps serious teleworkers. connecting upgraded networks to the premises is still almost 100pc Eircom. million phone lines and is committed to a www.utvinternet.ie downstream for flat monthly rates metropolitan area networks that have Top level international and internet trigger programme for smaller PRIMARILY aimed at the residential depending on the speed (and a 15pc Leap Broadband been Government funded under the connectivity is through giant parent BT. communities and rollout to all towns market, UTV Internet’s Clicksilver service is discount for annual accounts). Single user www.leap.ie € National Development Plan. Chorus also Business Internet access gives choice of within the next year. It offers three the cheapest on the market as we go to press options are: 400/128Kbps for 99 € € EXCLUSIVELY for business with a service € has a powerful fixed wireless service three DSL broadband products: business ADSL products — Business at 29.99 or 45 including Vat monthly monthly and 600/128Kbps at 135. € offering tailored accordingly, Leap Broad- called Powernet serving the Limerick 512/128Kbps and Rate Adaptive at €90 Starter 512/128Kbps and Rate Adaptive with free DSL modem. Installation is 99. Multi-user services offered are: 512/ band offers high bandwidth wireless € City and east county and north west monthly, 1024/256Kbps at €175 and at €45 monthly, Business Plus The two offerings have 48:1 and 24:1 128Kbps — 139, 1024/128Kbps — broadband in the Greater Dublin Area, with € € Tipperary area from Keeper Hill, 2048/256Kbps at €340. Installation is 1024/256Kbps at €89 and Business contention ratios and 8GB and 16GB 279, 2048/128Kbps — 549. In all € currently closed to new subscribers. €125.64 or €150 for the 2MB product Enhanced 2048/256Kbps at €169. download volume caps with fixed internet Cork, Limerick and Galway services cases the equipment cost is 1,290 and € (technician) and equipment with Installation is €165 (technician) and protocol addresses. Attractively priced for promised by the end of the year. It describes installation charge 299. network connection is supplied with all. €81.81 for all. Contention ratio is 24:1 for general home users, small office, home office its service as ‘leased-line equivalent’ with Contention ratio is 24:1 for all three and all three, four-port modem is standard, use may be deterred by the fact that bundled web hosting, email relay, internet Orbitlink NTL there are no download caps and no limit download caps are 8GB and 12GB Clicksilver is bundled with UTV Internet’s protocol addressing, virtual private network www.orbitlink.ie www.ntl.ie on number of users. with no limit on the Enhanced version. carrier pre-select telephony service although and other related services. Leap has three THIS is a two-way high-speed internet NTL offers three variants of its cable Residential broadband from Esat BT is Static internet protocol (IP) setup charge the current call rates are very competitive. business packages, all offering 1Mbps service from Educom, which has a three- access in west Dublin (Lucan) and under the established IOL brand, with of €50 applies to the two lower- down/up, and a 2Mbps/2Mbps Business year track record in this market. Speeds around the general Tallaght and Dublin two ADSL products and a set of level products. Premium product, each of which also has a can go up to 2Mbps, with special 24, 22, 16, 12, 6 and 6W areas. Further combination phone and internet Residential ADSL from Eircom comes Wireless guaranteed minimum speed. Monthly rates software to overcome satellite signal rollout depends on network upgrading, packages at attractive fixed monthly in two 512/128Kbps versions: Home are €199, €229 and €249 differentiated by latency that would otherwise affect web which is anticipated in various areas in rates. IOL Broadband offers 512/ Starter at €39.99 gives contention 48:1, Amocom Net the service level guarantee. The top Mbps browsing and virtual private network the coming months. Simple always-on 128Kbps services at €39 monthly with maximum download 4GB, upload 1GB www.amocom.com product is €499 a month with 256Kbps connections. It is available anywhere in internet access at 150/64Kbps costs €30 48:1 contention and 8GB data transfer and no static IP. Home Plus brings CORK wireless broadband access com- guaranteed minimum. Leap also offers the country. Single user options are: including Vat monthly on top of the TV cap or Broadband Plus — same speed but contention down to 24:1 with four-port pany Amocom Technologies now has uncontended leased-line replacement ser- 400/128Kbps for €99 monthly and service. Smarter products are NTL 24:1 contention and 16GB data modem, unlimited upstream traffic and most of the city in its coverage zone (with vices tailored to the client’s needs, for 600/128Kbps at €135. Multi-user Broadband 600/ 128Kbps at €40 and allowance. Modems (USB/Ethernet) are 8GB download cap with Static IP for a Ringaskiddy soon to be added) offering example 2Mbps uncontended SDSL at services offered are: 512/128Kbps — NTL Broadband Max 1024/256Kbps at included and the Plus product adds €60.50 setup charge. Technician install 512/512Kbps and 1Mbps/1Mbps services €999 monthly. There are no download €139, 1024/128Kbps — €279, €50. Contention is 20:1 for all products.