Speaking Note for Minister at the launch of Eutelsat’s KA-Sat satellite
Tuesday May 31st 2011
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you very much for your invitation to-day to mark the formal launch of Eutelsat’s KA-Sat satellite service. I very much welcome today’s announcement. I am not here to endorse any particular product but I am here to welcome technological improvements and increased products and services of this kind which are very positive developments for Irish consumers.
The Programme for Government that we agreed earlier this spring places vary great emphasis on Broadband connectivity and speed. Broadband availability is a key driver for economic growth, for energy efficiency and, increasingly, for social solidarity. Achieving optimal coverage nationwide is a complex jigsaw. Previous governments have put pieces of that jigsaw in place both by public investment and by attentive regulating of the market – but it is unfinished business.
I am determined that this Government puts the final pieces in place – completes the jigsaw if you wish. To this end I have convened a National Broadband Task Force which will bring the CEOs of the key players in the industry together in two weeks time. Our agenda is to ensure that we can maximise speeds, encourage sharing of infrastructure, take advantage of technological innovation and to identify where the State may need to intervene further.
One important piece of the jigsaw we are currently working on is access for some of the most remote premises in the country.
My Department is currently accepting applications under the recently-launched Rural Broadband Scheme. This scheme aims to provide a basic broadband service to remaining rural-based premises that, for one reason or another, are unable to get broadband.
This scheme is designed so as to offer the existing commercial operators an opportunity in the first instance to offer broadband to these applicants and it is our hope that as many as possible will be covered in this way rather than through a Government-procured service provider.
We will, of course, be asking commercial operators who use satellite technology as well as others whether they can serve the customers identified through the Rural broadband initiative.
Developments such as the KA-SAT satellite offer very real new options for Irish consumers. The advertised download and upload speeds, in addition to the potential for ancillary services such as digital terrestrial television, marks a significant improvement in what traditional satellite services offered heretofore.
It is my fervent hope that the advertised speeds and the other range of services available will be fully delivered on, thereby offering the many Irish consumers, who have often struggled to obtain reliable and consistent broadband services, a viable and cost-effective alternative to choose from. Obviously, satellite must also be capable of competing on price and quality of service.
I am also conscious that these technological advancements also bring with them the potential for additional jobs, particularly in those companies offering services from Eutelsat. That too is very good news.
In conclusion, I would again wish all associated with this important project every success in the future and hope we are witnessing the launch of a very real alternative for Irish broadband consumers.
Ends…