6 Real Broadband Alternatives
Irish Independent • Monday, 7 July, 2008
Fibre provider
Fibre connectivity will prove itself to be hot property in the
years ahead, writes GORDON SMITH
W
ITH the choice.” No launch date has
property been set for the high-speed
market rollout but it is slated for later
tightening, this year.
finding new Lavin says Magnet could
ways to make a house or have chosen to upgrade the
apartment attractive to service in increments but
potential buyers is a must – instead opted to make the
could high-speed broadband jump from 8Mbps to 50Mbps.
be a selling point? “There’s no real difference to
Magnet thinks so and is us in making that as one step
Meeting the need for speed
planning a major speed or two steps. If broadband is
upgrade to its fibre-based very important to you as
broadband services to new someone who uses the web
homes later this year. for work or for home or
Magnet is one of the more gaming, then go for the best.
Cable operator UPC is giving its customers a free speed upgrade in a bid
recent arrivals into the Why have a tier in between
broadband market, having which is a 20Mbps or 30Mbps
to stand out in the internet access market, reports GORDON SMITH
first launched its services in when we could just as easily
2005. By the end of this year, give you 50Mbps?
it will have supplied fibre-to- “With FTTH, you’re
the-home (FTTH) connections basically futureproofed. In
to over 11,000 apartments and other words, we have a piece of
F
ROM this month, UPC’s 1Mbps a compelling proposition for customers, he Waterford and Galway have already been houses. Magnet estimates this fibre going into each house
service, priced at ¤20 per month, adds. “Because we’re a cable network and not upgraded, with Limerick due to be makes it the largest single fibre and the amount of capacity
will be upgraded to 3Mbps at no reselling someone else’s products that means completed imminently. Half of the company’s provider in the UK or Ireland. we can deliver over it is
extra cost. The ¤30 6Mbps we can sell at affordable levels. That’s the core cable network in Dublin is currently enabled Installing fibre networks is limitless. If we had customers
monthly service will become advantage of alternative infrastructure. We for broadband. an expensive and labour- who wanted it – the
10Mbps and the ¤40 per month 12Mbps are masters of our own destiny. We can UPC is already keeping an eye on the intensive business, which is technology is expensive – we
package will be increased to 20Mbps. price those higher tier services at affordable future and developing faster services. The why Magnet gets involved with could give 10Gbps connections
Mark Coan, marketing and sales director prices.” company’s Japanese arm already offers new housing developments at into each house.”
with UPC Ireland, believes the move will put UPC has spent around ¤1bn in the Irish 100Mbps broadband to customers. the planning stage. Lavin believes this kind of
UPC in a market-leading position for market to date: close to ¤700m on acquiring “There’s a future roadmap to move to “We would love to provide broadband capacity can help
broadband. By comparison, he claims that DOCSIS 3 (cable technology) to take you all our customers with fibre; to make a house attractive to
getting 20Mbps broadband from a DSL upwards to 200Mbps,” says Coan. Although unfortunately digging the Joe Lavin, product manager, Magnet potential buyers. “What we’re
provider would cost close to ¤200 per month. such speeds are potentially years away from streets is not the cheapest seeing is, people will start
“It’s a world away from what the DSL guys
‘It’s not blue sky.
a public launch, the technology has already thing in the world so the most
are doing,” Coan says. been tested in Dublin and Cork. advantageous time to provide ‘We’re trying to get into
asking: is there fibre into the
house? We’ve noticed this with
The new speeds will be available to all of “We have to keep our eye on the future. We fibre into a house is while it’s businesses asking us: we’re
the broadband-enabled homes on UPC’s
It’s an evolution,
want to take the lead on speed, quality and being built, and not coming
network. Existing UPC customers can avail price of broadband and our long-term back afterwards to dig up
as many developments as
moving location, can you tell
us where you have fibre? This
of the free speed upgrades by agreeing to a is so they can choose a location
one-year contract extension and signing a
not a revolution.
strategy is to position ourselves there. It’s not suburbia. We’re trying to get
blue sky. It’s an evolution, not a revolution. into as many developments as
possible at the start’
that’s on our fibre footprint
form which is available on the company’s This is a natural next step,” Coan concludes. possible at the start,” explains or a competitor’s fibre
website www.upc.ie/internet. footprint.”
“People really need more than a 1Mbps
This is a natural
Joe Lavin, product manager
with Magnet. reselling other providers’ access service is typically sold The same is true in the
entry-level service,” Coan maintains, pointing The company has contracts products. as part of a bundle – that is, a housing market, Lavin
out that the majority of UPC’s new customers maintains. “If the speed
have been signing up to higher speed services
next step’
with some of the country’s top To date, most of the combination of broadband
property developers and with company’s investment has and telephone or as a triple- upgrade makes people decide
anyway. “We’re very clear that offering value more houses and apartments been in building out its fibre play offer that also includes they want to move to a
at the higher tiers is the way to go,” he says. due to be completed early next network. This extends to digital TV. These come in three particular location because
“We’re confident there’s huge demand for and integrating the cable TV providers NTL year, Magnet is confident the several developments in packages: silver (¤54 per those speeds are available,
this. Our experience so far has exploded and Chorus, with a further ¤300m on number of potential customers Portlaoise and some such as month), gold (¤67 per month) then great. It’s a buyer’s
the myth that there’s no demand for high- upgrading the network for future services will ramp up significantly over Dunboyne Castle on the and platinum (¤73 per month). market now and people can
speed broadband.” such as fast broadband. the next 12 months. fringes of Co Meath. The The current speed of decide where they want to
Unlike many broadband operators According to the company’s latest figures, To extend its network, majority so far are in the broadband is 8Mbps but this live so if that’s a service they’re
providing DSL-based services, UPC operates the UPC network passes 864,400 homes in Magnet has also put its own greater Dublin area. This will get a serious shot in the interested in, they’ll choose a
its own network which allows it to set its own the country, with 422,100 of these sites equipment into 39 telecoms includes locations like arm soon, Lavin promises. location where that’s
prices and to roll out faster speeds as currently enabled for broadband. The exchanges around the country. Adamstown to the west of the “This month we’re launching available.
customer demand dictates, Coan says. upgrade programme will take UPC from These services use DSL but, city, some of the Capital North a 50Mbps product into our “It’s like the Luas; it doesn’t
“Because we’re not beholden to anybody, we that 422,100 up to enabling its entire cable crucially, they allow Magnet to development near the airport residential market. It’s mainly go everywhere but if you’re
see an opportunity to push ahead and do network, which is also being extended provide a choice of services at and Spencer Dock in the city gamers and teleworkers who interested in being close to
something nobody else is doing. It puts us incrementally as new housing developments speeds of its own choosing centre. may need speeds of that nature public transport then you’re
way ahead of the competition on all tiers.” are completed. Mark Coan, marketing and sales without having to rely on Magnet’s FTTH internet but it’s great to have the going to choose accordingly.”
The combination of price and speed offers The company’s networks in Cork, director, UPC
WIDENING
THE REACH
OF WIRELESS
GORDON SMITH talks to Charl Tintinger of
Digiweb about how the company is making a
difference with broadband for the regions
Charl Tintinger, Digiweb
S
ince its formation Galway and in 30 other major which is increasingly common
in 1997, Irish-owned towns nationwide. in Ireland, where close to 20pc ‘We see the future in bundling services
feel that the future is all about arrival of new players such as
the speed of your broadband the mobile operators offering
firm Digiweb has Digiweb has also recently of homes now do not have one. connection. Consumers will broadband over their own
become one of announced plans to expand This alone is estimated to save
the country’s most its wireless network to key over ¤300 per year in line
together and also having more ‘on the go’
always want a reliable, fast networks.
connection – ideally at Tintinger says Digiweb
prominent internet service towns in Northern Ireland by rental costs. It’s also said to be
providers (ISPs), offering a the end of this year. Its satellite easier to install a wireless
broadband applications’
anytime and anywhere. We plans to develop cost-effective
see the future in bundling technologies that meet the
range of broadband services to service is competitively priced connection than a DSL line. services together and also needs of its customers and
more than 32,000 home and (¤99 per month) and is The Metro wireless service having more ‘on the go’ believes the key to the
business customers. available nationwide. This comes in four separate broadband applications. company differentiating itself
The company provides its is aimed specifically at rural packages and price points: the and phone service, free roadmap for the development forward, as well as developing “Convenience and reliability will be to own and operate its
services over a variety of areas not covered by other entry-level Metro lite package Metro-to-Metro calls and a of broadband connections and high-speed superior business will become more important own network. “We focus on
platforms including wireless access services. has a 1Mbps download speed modem at no extra cost. expansion of our networks. connections and product when choosing a broadband developing Digiweb-owned
and satellite. In order to A page on Digiweb’s for ¤24.95 per month. The Earlier this year, Digiweb The future for us is about offerings over wireless connection as more and infrastructure, completely
address the widest possible website, www.digiweb.ie/ Metro value offer gives 3Mbps took the decision to double developing an independent networks,” he says. more consumers demand independent of a third party,
range of customers, Digiweb home/broadband/, has a download for ¤29.95 per the speeds of its wireless national infrastructure and Some observers believe the information at their fingertips giving us the freedom to tailor
also offers a DSL-based service drop-down menu to allow month, while for an extra ¤5 broadband services and Digiweb products that meet broadband market will be and businesses rely more and broadband and voice packages
but its flagship product is consumers to check what per month, the Metro home technical operations manager, the needs of the Irish reduced to a battleground on more on the web as an at competitive prices. Digiweb
Metro, an always-on wireless services are available in their service doubles the speed to Charl Tintinger, says it’s consumer and Irish business two key fronts – speed and important sales channel.” is strongly growing its
broadband and phone service. locality. 6Mbps. There’s also a Metro planning to develop its customers. We will be price – but Tintinger believes Digiweb’s own expansion business through new
It is available in many urban One advantage of wireless is xtra service, priced at ¤59.95 services further in the months investing heavily in the the outlook for broadband comes at a time when there customer growth and will also
areas including Dublin, it does away with the need to per month for 10Mbps. All ahead. development of our mobile won’t just be about getting has been a lot of consolidation look at expanding into new
Waterford, Cork, Limerick and have a phone line – something packages offer free line rental “Digiweb has a very clear broadband network going online faster. “We really don’t in the market, as well as the areas shortly.”
The Real Broadband Alternatives
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