Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen: Let me first say a sincere “thank you” to the County Manager and his staff for their kind invitation to formally launch the Sligo Town Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), and to Fastcom Broadband Ltd., for their invitation to formally launch their group broadband services in Strandhill and Rosses Point.
The Sligo MAN is the latest to be completed in my Department’s Regional Broadband Programme, which will eventually provide high-speed broadband networks in over 120 towns and cities nationwide. Twenty-six MANs have now been completed, six more are under construction, and a further 90 are at the planning and design stage, in association with the local authorities.
The Sligo MAN has been built at a cost of €4.6 million, and I want to congratulate Sligo County Council for the enthusiasm and support for the project, and thank them for their continuing cooperation with my officials throughout the construction stage. The MAN is 23 kilometres in length, and brings high-capacity fibre trunks to the North, the West and the South of the town, serving businesses, Health Board sites, educational facilities and retail developments.
The MAN can deliver virtually unlimited bandwidth (in comparison with the telephone lines), and offers the best prospect for a realistic level of broadband delivery to the greatest number of customers.
The importance of the two group broadband projects in Strandhill and Rosses Point is equally acknowledged. There are already more than 150 subscribers connected to the two schemes, and Fastcom tell me that the level of interest is most encouraging. The aim of the Group Broadband Scheme is to offer a broadband option to rural and low population areas that would be unlikely to get broadband in the short term.
This represents the start of a new era of opportunity and development for this area of County Sligo and one that will, no doubt, be fully exploited and utilised over the months and years ahead.
Broadband is arguably the most important development of the past decade, and within very few years it has become the single most important technology for business, commerce, education, health and a huge contributor to social inclusion.
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.
The Internet also has much to offer in health care, in social inclusion, in providing business opportunities for both large and small firms to be vibrant contributors to the economy, and in enabling smaller communities to play their part. 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.
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 access.
The main aim of the Regional Broadband Programme will continue to be the widespread provision of high-speed broadband infrastructure to enable the provision of world-class services in all areas of the country.
In closing, I must again thank Sligo County Council for their enthusiasm and cooperation in the building of the Sligo MAN and I would also like to compliment Fastcom Broadband Ltd and all associated with bringing the Strandhill and Rosses Point broadband projects to fruition. I wish you all every success in the future.
Ends