1. Broadband “In a short space of time, high-speed internet (broadband) has become fundamental to modern economies. It has changed the way we access the internet and how we use it. It has made economic activity more efficient and has extended social interaction in previously unforeseeable ways”
2. What is Broadband? “Broadband is defined as a high bandwidth connection to the Internet. Broadband is easier and faster to use than the traditional telephone and modem as information can be sent and downloaded much quicker.”
3. Speed Broadband speed is measured in megabits per second (Mb or Mbps) File sizes are measured in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB) There are 8 bits in a byte a download speed of 8 bits will shift 1MB per second
4. Ireland Ireland has a 21.4% broadband penetration rate, with 950, 082 subscribers
6. Introduction to Business & Requirements The following research is based on the needs of a small web development business in Greystones, Co. Wicklow. This business uses VOIP for telecommunications and has heavy up/download requirements. Therefore, continuous broadband access and fast download and upload speeds are a necessity.
18. Cable Broadband: How It Works Cable broadband allows the provision of broadband through the cables used to transfer images and sound to a TV set. This does not interfere with the television service.
22. Recommendation For the moment, the most effective option for this business is Eircom DSL as it is inexpensive and reliable. However, wireless provision is set to improve in the near future and, if this happens, the business should transfer to Irish Broadband which, despite a higher cost, would allow them far greater speeds.
23. International Comparison As with Greystones, Kerikeri in New Zealand is a small town in a rural area. In 2009 there were 980,649 subscribers which achieved a penetration rate of 22.8% which is slightly ahead of Ireland. Ultra-fast Broadband Investment Initiative: the government are seeking 75% coverage and will invest up to $300 million to improve rural broadband
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25. In comparison to Greystones services, the Broadband Pro Package that Vodafone offer for businesses in Kerkeri focuses on data download limits rather than speed. There is a 3GB cap on data transfer with an $0.50 charge for each additional MB
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27. KeriKeri Provider Comparison For a web-based company, Slingshot would be a far more suitable DSL provider as it supplies symmetrical speeds as well as a greater data limit. Either of the DSL companies would be preferable to Vodafone mobile broadband which has a far lower data allowance and more unreliable speeds. Slingshot also has added extras including free off-peak time between 2am-8am and is optimised for ADSL2+
28. Comparison: Greystones V KeriKeri Greystones has more choice: KeriKeri is mostly limited to DSL Slingshot DSL, the best option for KeriKeri has better speeds than Eircom and greater upload speeds than UPC (NTL). Slingshot is cheaper than both Irish Broadband and UPC (NTL)
Notes de l'éditeur
Reference for quote: http://www.broadband-guide.org.uk/what-is-broadband.htmlBandwidth = this term relates to the rate of data transfer. The bandwidth determines the amount of data that can be transferred between two points in a certain amount of time.
NGB: Ireland is currently working towards Next Generation Broadband (NGB) to cater for a growing number of internet enabled devices, which will allow “Ireland to have a European class digital economy embracing aspects such as; infrastructure, consistent and national availability, e-state and e-citizens, high levels of sustainable competition all overarched by appropriate regulation”.Reference for quote: ComReg report: Next Generation Broadband in Ireland 2009ComReg’s definition of Next Generation Broadband is speeds exceeding 25Mb per second. Reference: ComReg report: Next Generation Broadband in Ireland 2009LLU = In Ireland, this refers to a legal obligation placed on Eircom to offer line share to other operators. It is believed that Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) will increase competition which will drive providers to supply greater speeds. On 26/1/10 ComReg directed Eircom to drop its wholesale line share for other providers which is seen as a positive step towards NGB. WiMax=Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. WiMax is also seen as having the potential to provide widespread wireless access in the near future. This will supply high, synchronous speeds which will be beneficial for web based businesses. Imagine has invested €100 million in a WiMax network and is currently rolling out its first phase which will cover 250,000 homes in the country. Reference for LLU information: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/15004/comms/llu-price-drop-lays-foundation-for-ngn-rolloutReference for WiMax information: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/14708/comms/wimax-and-lte-will-have-dual-role-on-road-to-100mbps-broadband/
Satellite broadband:A price quoted from Satellite Broadband Ireland included an initial set-up cost of €579 as well as a monthly cost of €109. Satellite broadband is often the only option available for businesses in rural areas, but the quality of broadband provided does not justify the expense for a business in an urban area of Wicklow, such as Greystones, where there are other more cost-effective options.Mobile broadband: Vodafone has the best coverage but according to Design Shop, a business in Newcastle Co. Wicklow, “upload speed is far from good”. This business uses this service purely because most of their work is off site. Also, Vodafone has warned that ongoing work to improve coverage will cause disruptions to the service over the coming months which would be damaging to a web based business.
Security: Cables and lines are not shared with other users. Reference: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=86982
Security: Cables and lines are not shared with other users. Reference: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=86982 Reasonable quality: This is based on information from Ian Wortley of Webshed. Reference: Email correspondence with Ian Wortley of WEBSHED, Date: January 24th 2010Overpriced: This is based on information from Ian Wortley of Webshed. Reference: Email correspondence with Ian Wortley of WEBSHED, Date: January 24th 2010Asymmetric: Download and upload speeds are not the same.
Security: Hacking can be prevented by ensuring that your connection is protected by firewalls
Reference for slide: Email correspondence with Ian Wortley of WEBSHED, Date: January 24th 2010Symmetrical: Both upload and download speeds are the same.
Reference for slide: http://www.switchtobroadband.com/how-broadband-works.php
Interruptions to television signal: Ian Wortley from WEBSHED has investigated this option but is inclined not to trust the service as he experiences long periods of interruptions to his television service (over 5 minutes). As the business relies on the internet for VOIP, the loss of their telephone system for any period of time “would reflect very badly” on them. Reference: Email correspondence with Ian Wortley of WEBSHED, Date: January 24th 2010Reference for slide: http://www.upc.ie/broadband/thirty/
Reference for slide: http://www.switchtobroadband.com/how-broadband-works.php
ADSL2+: “ADSL2+ (ITU G.992.5) doubles the bandwidth used for downstream data transmission, effectively doubling the maximum downstream data rates, and achieving rates of 20 Mbps on telephone lines as long at 5,000 feet.” http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=DSL_modemS01_02
