How broad is your broadband?

If you are lucky enough to be one of Ireland's 700,000 plus broadband users then have you made it to the digital age and can you stop worrying about matching the connectivity of your European competitors? Is our top OECD ranking for broadband growth in the first half of 2007 something to write home about?

Seems not, according to reports late in 2007 which place Ireland firmly in the bottom three nations globally for quality of broadband where it is available. Although in the OECD rankings we crept up from position 21 to rank 24th of 32 nations in terms of broadband penetration, Bertie's digital hub remains as far fetched a dream as ever.

Try telling a fledgling business that they have access to broadband just because technically it is available in their town. When the majority of lines fail the broadband capability test and trees or hills obscure the wireless signal that's simply not accessible broadband. Let alone rural businesses like SitestoGo struggling to work within a rural Group Broadband Scheme that cannot provide the most basic IP technology to allow us to run an email server.

Leaving the politics aside how can you practically assess your options and make the most of what is available? Follow our hints to increase your knowledge of what is available, save money and get connected now.

If you have Broadband test its speed at regular intervals

You may not be getting what you are paying for as contention rates increase speeds decrease Register free for Irish ISP test broadband monitoring now

Check available broadband options in your area

New services are constantly appearing (and some are disappearing too!) Check uchoose.ie for services in your location

Check before you relocate

Even in towns and cities broadband can be poor and hard to get. If you need broadband check and test before you move. Several or our clients in Naas have hit problems with the quality and availability of broadband after moving into brand new industrial estates.

Compare costs

The fastest speed that is widely available in Ireland (6 Mbit/s), costs four to five times more than considerably higher speed (ADSL) services in countries such as France, Germany and Hungary. An Irish business would pay over €2,000 per annum for a 6 Mbit/s ADSL service, while its counterpart in Germany would pay up to €534 for 16 Mbit/s (depending on usage). In France, the annual cost is €530 for 18 Mbit/s, and in Sweden, 24 Mbit/s costs just under €1,200 per annum.

Even if you are on dial up check that a fixed monthly rate for unlimited use would not be more cost effective and allow you to use the web more, albeit at a snails pace. Timed dial up is a cash cow for the Telcos and many businesses don't realise they can easily switch.

Shop around to reduce set up costs

Initial set up costs can vary a lot and beware of paying large sums to possibly unstable suppliers. No less than three of the SitesToGo satellite broadband suppliers went bust - each leaving us with useless equipment. Many Group Broadband Scheme wireless suppliers in Ireland are newly formed SMEs without track records or great financial stability.

Consider paying more per month instead of high set up costs at least until you have tried and tested the service.

Think mobile!

3G mobile packages start as low as €17 per month for 10gigabytes of data and work in surprising places. A key member of the SitesToGo team lives beyond the reach of Tullamore broadband but picks up a healthy 3G signal from her rural home in Offaly. Equipping her with 3 Mobile Broadband has enabled flexible working and backup for our office based wireless broadband.

Several of our clients are running whole offices on mobile broadband. Test before you buy though, as coverage is still patchy.

Don't share

If you share serviced office accommodation, like many start-ups and small businesses, don't share the broadband service.

Make sure your broadband supplier can provide you with a unique IP address or you may find your email blacklisted because someone else is spamming on the same IP. If you want to run an email server then make sure your broadband supplier can provide you with a reverse lookup to match your mail domain.

Lobby

Broadband became an election issue. Ireland's primary lobbying group www.irelandoffline.org ceased operations in mid 2007. Don't let those with influence forget until the next election looms. Our three wishes are:
Comreg to closely monitor take up of Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) since the September 2007 ‘fit for purpose' product became available. It's the only way to improve competition and make more advanced services available. But history shows obstacles can easily confound progress in this area.

To make sure delivery of supplier Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are monitored continuously - especially for business and high end services. We doubt from our own experience that the delivery standards agreed with group broadband scheme suppliers are adequately monitored. LLU take up must be matched by enforcement of terms agreed as part of the contract.

Accelerate the National Broadband Scheme to create equality across regions and a level playing field for businesses outside Metropolitan Area Networks(MANs). Ireland's rural and small town businesses play a key role in the economy and are victims of a digital divide.

Government should take a pro-active role in deploying the next generations of services: lets face it – we missed the boat on initial deployment of broadband, but we should learn from that and leapfrog the current situation. What the NRA has done for our road infrastructure could be done by a similar body taking responsibility for fair and effective deployment of new technologies. Oh, and while they are at it shouldn't the NRA be cabling under all those new roads?!
More about the state of Broadband in Ireland in the ForFas report December 2007