Launch of the Donegal Town Metropolitan Area Network

The word on everyone’s lips is Broadband. Everywhere I go I am asked “when are we getting broadband?” Broadband is arguably the most important development of the past decade, and within a few short years it has become the single most important technology for business, commerce, education, health and a huge contributor to social inclusion.

There are a number of ways to deliver broadband, including wireless, cable, fibre, satellite and, of course, ADSL over the telephone lines. The one thing that they all need is suitable infrastructure, and that’s where the challenge lies. In a fully liberalised telecommunications market we would expect the service providers to look after their own infrastructure needs, but that has not been happening to any great extent. It must be said that the level of investment by the sector in its own future has left a lot to be desired.

In order to address this infrastructure deficit my Department set out its Regional Broadband Programme, under which Government and ERDF funding is being used to build open-access fibre-based infrastructure in the towns and cities. These Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) remain State-owned, allowing even the smallest of service providers open access to the sort of infrastructure that they could never afford to build for themselves.

The fibre-based MANs, which can deliver virtually unlimited bandwidth (in comparison with the telephone lines), offer the best prospect for a realistic level of broadband delivery to the greatest number of customers.

The Regional Broadband Programme will eventually provide open-access broadband networks in over 120 towns and cities nationwide. They will give service providers the opportunity to offer a full suite of broadband services at competitive prices to homes, businesses, hospitals and schools.

The Donegal MAN has been planned and designed in association with Donegal County Council, and I want to thank the Council for their enthusiasm and support for the project, and look forward to their continuing cooperation with my officials throughout the construction stage, subject to the usual clearance etc.

Although we as a nation were late entering the broadband race, the numbers are very encouraging, with over 175,000 customers now using a variety of broadband technologies. In addition to these, hundreds of thousands more are accessing the Internet using leased lines and Flat Rate Access.

According to recent EU Internet statistics there are over 2 million Internet users in Ireland, or nearly 52% of the population. This represents user growth of 163% in the past four years, and gives a good indication of the real level of demand for broadband.

Broadband and Internet access have transformed the way we do business, the way we communicate, the way we see the world, and the way the world sees us. Towns with broadband will retain their young people by offering them a realistic future, and will attract inward investment to make that future more secure. I am confident that the Donegal MAN will mean a great deal for the town and the surrounding areas, and I wish it every success.

There’s a website called Donegal.ie with the slogan “Up here it’s different”. The MAN will make it even more different.

In closing I must again thank Donegal County Council for their enthusiasm and cooperation with the MAN project, and wish you all every success in the future.

Ends