'No one left behind' as Broadband roll-out starts in March

Seamus Enright
At Ramor Theatre

The process of rolling-out high-speed broadband to thousands of homes and businesses currently without services will begin in the “coming weeks” with a major review of the existing support network.

Starting next month, staff attached to National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the firm awarded the National Broadband Plan contract last November, will be travelling roads and lane-ways within a 20 kilometres radius of Cavan Town to kick-start the delivery.
There are, at present, some 16,200 premises across Cavan currently without access to high-speed broadband. This figure represents 38% of all premises, both business and residential, and to solve the issue the government announced it would invest €65 million in supporting the roll-out plan.
Joe Lavin, Chief Commercial Officer with NBI told Councillors at their monthly meeting last Monday, February 17, the benefits of high-speed internet connectivity will be felt in communities from as early as this time next year once work is completed on building out the network.
What is needed to deliver such high-speed connectivity will start next month (March 2020) with an extensive survey of the existing Eir network in “townlands around Cavan town”.
The survey, he said, will provide NBI with a “detailed plan” for how every every premises in the area will eventually be connected.
“We'll be looking to see if there's space in underground ducts, or space on poles, and where we need to get additional poles if necessary,” said Mr Lavin.
Nationally, NBI believe that in order to pass the 536,000 homes and businesses nationwide, it will require 89,454 kilometres of overhead fibre-optic cabling, 1.46 million poles, with a further 15,057km of cable to be placed underground.
Cavan was the third local authority meeting to be addressed by Mr Lavin, who said that the county is “high” on the agenda for high speed broadband delivery.
Mr Lavin explained to the meeting the network will be expanded “like a jigsaw” from central locations, starting with Cavan Town.
Cavan Town will act as a connection point in the high-speed national broadband network backbone, that will then link with “nodes” located in more rural areas.
Some nodes across the county, such as those located in the east and west of the Cavan, would be connected to core connectivity points in neighbouring counties Monaghan and Leitrim.
NBI will have “boots on the ground” and staff “pulling fibre-optic cable” to build out of the network from the second half of this year, with a suggested completion date of early 2021 when home and business owners will then be able to place connection orders.
Those areas not included in the current phase of the roll-out would be included in an extended survey to be carried out between 2021-22.
“We're making sure no one is left behind,” said Mr Lavin of the company's seven-year commitment to delivering upon the much vaunted but heavily maligned National Broadband Plan.
Mr Lavin also told the meeting that NBI will be overseeing the connectivity of approximately 300 community centres, schools, library hubs and local GAA halls in every county to high speed broadband in the coming year.
In Cavan they include: Bunnoe Community Centre; Castlerahan Hall; Cornafean Community Centre; Drumavaddy Community Centre; Killinkere GAA Club; Knocknalosset Orange Order, Canningstown; Maudabawn Cultural Centre; St Patrick's Community Centre, Glangevlin; Castle Saunderson International Scouting Centre; and Templeport Community Centre.
“We've had false dawns, and false dawns on top of false dawns,” Cathaoirleach Shane P O'Reilly said at the conclusion of the presentation, adding: “But I wish you well in your endeavours.”
Separately, The Anglo-Celt is aware of plans by Cavan County Council to mirror the provision of free community Wi-Fi access in other towns across the county.
The tech-upgrade will be provided under the Wifi4EU scheme, with Bailieborough, Cootehill, Ballyjamesduff, Virginia, Belturbet and Ballyconnell.
Wifi4EU-funded networks are limited but free of charge, advertising and personal data harvesting.