Release Date:
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Donegal a broadband blackspot - but situation rapidly improving
Although a new study shows Donegal to be a broadband blackspot, with the fourth-lowest uptake of the technology in the country, a Fahan-based expert says the situation is rapidly improving. A report compiled by online consultancy AMAS, based on the results of last year’s Census, shows that the north-west is Ireland’s broadband blackspot with adoption levels up to five times lower than certain parts of Dublin. Leitrim has the country’s lowest broadband uptake at just 7.8%, followed by Cavan (9.1%), Roscommon (9.3%) and Donegal (9.8%).
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown has the highest broadband penetration levels at almost 40%, followed by South Dublin (35.8%) and Fingal (34.6%).
Colm McColgan of the Donegal-Derry technology agency ERNACT, admitted yesterday: 'Those figures are pretty grim. But they’re not really surprising because we are located in the extreme northwest, and are sparsely populated. Donegal is quite unique in that 80% of the population live outside of the towns. So putting in conventional ASDL broadband infrastructure, where customers have to be within a 3.5km radius of a telephone exchange, is not a very attractive proposition from a purely commercial basis. There are richer pickings elsewhere in the big cities.'
However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as ERNACT has been working away for the last six years, together with Donegal County Council and Derry City Council, to ensure that alternative services are put in place.
'Donegal was far behind but we’ve been very active trying to rectify that situation for the last five to six years. There have been a number of things taking place, but it will take a wee bit longer for them all to come together. What I would say is that we are better off now than we were, and we will be much better off in six months time.'
He explained some of these initiatives.
ERNACT has set up the Community Network Services (CNS) initiative, specifically to put broadband into rural parts of Donegal. The contract was won by North West Electronics, who have been putting fixed wireless access systems into homes in places like Linsfort, Culdaff and Fahan. Colm says that the company will be able to provide this type of high speed broadband to customers in most of Donegal by the end of this year.
Seven Donegal towns
ERNACT is also behind the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANS) programme to provide broadband for seven towns in the county, including Buncrana and Carndonagh. 'The physical infrastructure is complete for these networks but there are still management issues still to be sorted with regard to designating the service provider. These should be finalised in the very near future.'
Meanwhile, the big companies have been moving in the right direction too. 'Eircom is responding - two or three weeks ago they lit up the exchange at Quigley’s Point.
The ESB have put a fibre-optic link from Sligo to Buncrana, as a result of ERNACT and Donegal County Council working together, and a number of cross-border links have gone in that weren’t there two years ago, including eircom and BT both putting links between Derry and Letterkenny, and BT putting a link in fron Derry to Fahan.'
Colm is confident that, when all of these initiatives are completed, the people of Donegal will have easy access to fast, reliable broadband service to equal anywhere in the country.
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