1. Broadband Availability
in Rural Westmeath
Saoirse Meehan

2. Areas to be Covered in Westmeath by
National Broadband Scheme (NBS)
National
Broadband Scheme
2008, Dept
Communications,
Energy & Natural
Resources

3. Castletown,Westmeath is part of
the Rural Broadband Scheme
B rat h, Cas t l et ow
al n,
Fi nea
The Department of
Communications,
Energy and Natural
Resources recognised
that there is a lack of
broadband services in
the area and is
working to rectify this
by 2013 (Dept of
Communications, Energy &
Natural Resources, 2010)

4. Irish Broadband Subscription by
Mode of Access 07- 12 Q1
Delivering a Connected Society: A National Broadband Plan for Ireland, Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources (30 th August 2012)

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6. Fixed Wireless Broadband
FIXED WIRELESS
 High-speed Internet access can
also be delivered without wires.
A wireless modem inside the
building or a small antenna
outside picks up the signal – the
choice depends on where you are
located relative to the
transmission site and what
obstacles might be in the way. A
phone line is not required (Smyth,
2006)
 Ripplecom fixed wireless
broadband uses radio technology
to connect a home or office
(Ripplecom, 2012).

7. Ripplecom
Unlimited
Business Value 8 downloads is
very good,
Price €60 but I am also
concerned
Download Speed 8 Mb with the
Upload Speed 1 Mb amount of
data I can
Download Limit Unlimited upload
Since wireless Connection Type Wireless
broadband
operates
Contention Ratio 20:1
independently
Installation Fee €149 High contention
of your
telephone line ratio means that
Terrestrial Fixed at any time I
you do not Medium of
require a Wireless via Radio could be sharing
Communication my connection
telephone line Technology
(and associated with up to 20
line rental) other people
Type of
Communication Broadband
Company

8. Satellite Broadband
SATELLITE BROADBAND Download data transmission speeds
 Satellite based broadband service are usually faster than upload
solutions offer universal access speeds and there can be a time delay
within the footprint of the orbiting
satellite provider using wireless (lag) associated with uploads which
links to ground based mobile and can make some services difficult to
fixed terminals. They are use (Smyth, 2006).
particularly useful in serving
remote areas unserved by DSL,
cable and mobile broadband.
(Department of Communications, Energy and
Natural Resources, 2012)
 The technology uses adaptive
modulation and coding techniques
which address the conditions of
rain fade ensuring high availability
under differing weather conditions
(Digiweb, 2012).

9. Enterprise Satellite Broadband
Download data
transmission speeds
Price € 32.95
are usually faster than Download Speed 8 Mbps
upload speeds and
there can be a time Upload Speed 2 Mb
delay (lag) associated Extremely high
with uploads which Download Limit 8 Gb contention
can make some rate and would
services difficult to Connection Type Satellite reduce the
use. download
No specific speed
information but considerably
Contention Ratio
could be as high
as 400:1*
Installation Fee €219.95
Medium of Initial outlay is
Wireless Satellite very expensive
Communication
DigiWeb use a French Satellite Type of
called KA-SAT from Tooway Communication Broadband *Ground Control, Satellite
Communications Systems

10. Fixed Wired Broadband
DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER LINE (DSL) ASYMMETRIC DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER
Fixed Wired Broadband LINE (ADSL): Utilises a technology that
 A family of technologies generically transforms a normal telephone line into
referred to as DSL or xDSL which are a high-speed digital line that enables
access to telephony services and the
capable of transforming a normal
Internet at the same time. ADSL
telephone line into a high-speed
provides always-on access to Internet or
digital line (Smyth, 2006) .
TV and Video on-demand services at
speeds that are 10 to 40 times faster
than a standard 56k modem. An ADSL
line has a higher downstream speed
(into the end user) than upstream speed
(away from the end user), (Economic and
Environmental Science Team, 2009).

11. Business Lite Next Generation
As the download
Price € 20.65 plus VAT speed and upload
Very low
speed are
upload Download Speed 8 Mbps
speed different this is an
Upload Speed 512kb ASDL cable
Download Limit 10 Gb
Connection Type ADSL
No information
Contention Ratio
given
Line Rental € 20.96
Fixed Wired
Medium of Broadband DSL
Communication cable, specifically
ADSL
Type of
Communication Telecommunications
Company

12. Mobile Broadband
MOBILE BROADBAND
 The retail broadband market does  Mobile broadband is delivered via
not include mobile broadband the mobile network directly to the
because based on an analysis of device (mobile phone) or to a
demand and supply side computer via a dongle. A dongle is
substitution, on a comparison of a small connector that attaches to
technical characteristics, and on an a PC card in a laptop on one end,
assessment of actual customer and to an Ethernet cable on the
switching in the market, retail other end.
mobile broadband is not
considered to be a close substitute
for retail fixed broadband (Body of
European Regulators for Electronic
Laptop
Communication, 2010).
al
ig n
rS
we 3G Wireless
To Modem
3G
Cellular /3G Tower
Desktop PC
3G Mobile Broadband Wireless
Router

13. Vodafone
Retail mobile broadband is Vodafone Mobile Wifi R205
not an effective substitute
for retail broadband Price €19.99
offered over DSL, due 3G is the Mobile Phone
primarily to functional
Download Speed 7.2 Gb Network
differences, differences in
Upload Speed 512 kb
pricing, and in customer
use. Technically mobile Download Limit 10 Gb
“broadband” is Mobile
Internetas it does not meet Mobile / 3G HSPA+
the international definition Connection Type
of broadband (ComReg, (21Mbps)
2011).
Contention Ratio 48:1 Can be delivered
through a WiFi
Installation Fee €29.99 device or a
“dongle”
Medium of
Mobile Broadband
Communication
Type of
Mobile
Communication
Communication
Company

14. Not Available due to Rural Location
A separate cable socket is installed and is connected to a PC via a
special cable modem. To use the connection from other rooms,
an internal wireless network can be used.
TV viewing is not interrupted while the Internet is being used
Cable and neither service interferes with the other. A phone line is not
required.
Because of the capacity of the wiring used, faster data
transmission speeds can be provided on cable networks than
are currently available on phone lines (Smyth, 2006)
Not Available in
Fibre Optic Cable: A transmission medium that uses glass or Ireland at a retail
plastic fibres rather than copper wire to transport data or voice
Fiber signals. The signal is imposed on the fibres via pulses
(modulation) of light from a laser or a light-emitting diode (LED).
level
EirGrid are
Optic Because of its high bandwidth and lack of susceptibility of
interference, fibre-optic cable is used in long-haul or noisy
looking into it
with Welsh
Cable applications (Smyth, 2006).
company Geo
It is the Rolls Royce of connectivity.
WiMAX
A set of emerging wireless technologies which can greatly
increase the range of high speed wireless broadband. The
technology behind WiMAX should allow for wireless data speeds
(Worldwide
of up to 40Mbits/s over a distance of 10km using relatively
Interoperability inexpensive equipment. WiMAX is not a technology, but a
for Microwave “stamp of approval” given to equipment that meets certain
Access) conformity and interoperability test (OECD, 2006)

15. Pyrotechnician
 I am a Pyrotechnician based in Balrath, Castletown, Finea
in rural Westmeath. The criteria that I use while exploring
broadband options are;
 Download Speed; this is an important factor as I need to be
able to download large documents such as stage plans
 Upload Speed; Online promotion is a main marketing tool.
High upload speed broadband will allow me to upload videos of
latest gigs and effects
 Contention Ratio; although the contention ratio is not a
primary factor when considering various broadband types it is
important to consider it at some level as level as it highlights
the number of people that one will be sharing the connection
with and can have an adverse effect on the download and
upload speed
 Price; with everything price is an important factor when
choosing a service

16. Comparison of Products Available
Ripplecom DigiWeb Eircom Vodafone
Price €60 € 32.95 € 20.65 plus VAT €19.99
Download Speed 8 Mb 8 Mbps 8 Mbps 7.2 Gb
Upload Speed 1 Mb 2 Mb 512kb 512 kb
Download Limit Unlimited 8 Gb 10 Gb 10 Gb
Connection Type Wireless Satellite ADSL Mobile / 3G HSPA+
High; 400:1
Contention Ratio 20:1 48:1
Low;18:1
Installation Fee €149 €219.95 € 20.96 €29.99
Medium of Fixed Wireless Wireless Fixed Wired Wireless
Communication Radio Technology Satellite DSL /ADSL Mobile Broadband
Communication
Broadband Broadband Telecommunications Mobile Communication
Company

17. References
 Body of European Regulations for Electronic Communication (BEREC) (2010) BEREC-RSPG report on
market definitions. Unknown: BEREC. Available at:
http://berec.europa.eu/eng/document_register/subject_matter/berec/reports/?doc=385 [Accessed 3 rd
October 2012]
 Comreg (2011) Response to Consultation and Decision. Ireland: Author. Available at:
http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg1149.pdf [Accessed 30 Sep 2012]
 Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (2008) National Broadband Scheme (NBS)
Dublin: Author. Available at:
http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/communications/communications+development/national+broadband+scheme.
htm [Accessed 2nd October 2012]
 Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (2010) Rural Broadband Scheme. Dublin:
Author. Available at:http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/NR/rdonlyres/5D1A93F4-C919-4731-8113-
99117BEB56B0/0/Westmeath.pdf [ Accessed 2nd October 2012]
 Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (2012) Delivering a Connected Society: A
National Broadband Plan for Ireland. Dublin: Author. Available at:
http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/NR/rdonlyres/1EA7B477-741B-4B74-A08E-6350135C32D2/0/NBP.pdf [Accessed
30 Sep 2012]
 DigiWeb (2012) Satellite Business Broadband. [Online] Available at:
http://www.digiweb.ie/business/products/connectivity/broadband/satellite/index.html [Accessed 1st
October 2012]
 DigiWeb (2012) Tooway and DigiWeb [Online] Available at: http://www.digiweb.ie/home/tooway/
[Accessed 1st October 2012]

18. References
 Economic and Environmental Science Team (2009) Spotlight:Broadband. Ireland: Oireachtas Library and
Research Service Available at:
http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/housesoftheoireachtas/libraryresearch/spotlights/Broadban
d.pdf [Accessed 5th October 2012]
 Eircom (2012) Business Broadband [Online] Available at: http://business.eircom.net/broadband/
[Accessed 8th October 2012]
 Ground Control (2012) How Does Satellite Internet Work? [Online] Available at:
http://www.groundcontrol.com/How_Does_Satellite_Internet_Work.htm [Accessed 2nd Oct 2012]
 OECD (2006) The implications of WiMAx for Competition and Regulation. Unknown: Author. Available at:
http://www.oecd.org/internet/broadbandandtelecom/36218739.pdf [ Accessed 6th October 2012]
 Ripplecom (2012) Business Broadband [Online] Available at: http://www.ripplecom.net/business-
broadband [Accessed 2nd October 2012]
 Smyth, R (2006) A Guide to Broadband in the Midlands. Ireland: Laois, Longford, Offally and Westmeath
County Councils. Available at:http://www.midlandbroadband.ie/docs/Guide%20to%20Broadband%20in
%20the%20Midlands.pdf [Accessed 3rd October 2012]
 Vodafone (2012) Vodafone Wifi R205. [Online] Available at:
http://shop.vodafone.ie/shop/internet-and-broadband/mobile-broadband/device-details/vodafone-mobile-wifi-r2
[ Accessed 2nd October 2012]