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ESB AND VODAFONE are to invest over €450 million in a new fibre broadband network they say will bring broadband speeds of between 200 to 1000 Mbps to an initial 50 towns.
The deal will see ESB’s lines and masts being used to transport fibre cables and will reach about 500,000 homes and businesses as part of the first phase.
Subject to approval from the European Commission, work will start on new network in the coming months with the first customers gaining access from the start of 2015 and a completion date of end-2018.
The new 100% fibre network will be available for other telecom providers to sell wholesale onto customers.
The deal was made possible by legislation passed earlier this year that allowed ESB’s infrastructure to be used for additional purposes.
ESB and Vodafone are splitting the deal on a 50:50 basis with Vodafone chosen as ESB’s partner following a tendering process. ESB CEO Pat O’Doherty described the deal with Vodafone as a “milestone for Ireland”.
“The fibre broadband network will be a key enabler for a knowledge-based, services-led economy that will help to attract investment to Ireland,” he said. “This fibre infrastructure will use ESB’s existing electricity infrastructure, maximising the use of state assets to the benefit of Irish society.
Speaking on RTÉ this morning, Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte said that, because of the huge divide between urban and rural internet speeds, the Government was forced to become involved:
The gap is in danger of growing wider between urban Ireland and rural Ireland and therefore, given that the commercial sector is providing ferociously competitive and quality service in urban Ireland, the commercial sector won’t go into provincial areas the state must intervene.
The minister was referring to the Government’s own plans to improve internet connectivity in rural areas, today’s announcement from ESB and Vodafone was a separate commercial initiative, he explained.
But Rabbitte did repeat the Government’s plan to have high-speed broadband to half the population by 2015:
“I think it will (happen) and if it doesn’t it won’t miss it by much because the progress made in the past few years has been quite dramatic. I mean the Eircom investment alone, which will see fibre pass 1.4 million premises in the country, is a real real step-up and a major contribution by Eircom in a country that has 2.2 million residential premises.
In response to today’s announcement, Eircom has said that it remains fully committed to its own plan to deliver on their €400 million investment mentioned by the minister.
The say the plan will reach 70% of the country.
Eircom added that following the ESB/Vodafone deal they too will seek access to the ESB infrastructure with a view to developing their own joint venture.
Arklow, Letterkenny, Athlone, Limerick City, Balbriggan, Little Island, Ballina, Longford, Ballincollig, Mallow, Bray, Maynooth/Kilcock, Carlow, Midleton, Carrick-on-Shannon, Monaghan, Carrigaline, Mullingar, Castlebar, Naas/Johnstown/Sallins, Cavan, Navan, Celbridge, Newbridge, Clonmel, Portlaoise, Cobh, Roscommon, Cork City, Shannon, Drogheda, Skerries / Rush, Dundalk, Sligo, Ennis, Swords /Malahide/Portmarnock, Enniscorthy, Tralee, Galway City, Tramore, Gorey, Tullamore, Greystones, Waterford City, Kilkenny, Westport, Killarney, Wexford, Leixlip, Wicklow.
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Top tip. Don’t listen to the tips on the journal. Changing wipers blades every 6 months is a complete waste of money.
Keep it between the ditches.dont drink and drive and make sure there is a good reclining seat for the bit of “How’s your Father” with girlfriend /boyfriend .
If it’s moving and it’s not supposed to…duct tape….if it’s not moving and it supposed to..wd40
Never pay a garage for a pre nct check. Biggest rip off ever. Just put it in for the test and let them tell you whats wrong for a fraction of the cost.
If you hear a noise you don’t like the sound of, turn up the radio and it magically disappears
@Pat Maher: only if it is company car
Don’t go to main dealers or big mechanic shops for service or repairs they will charge you a fortune, use your small local independent mechanics.
Change wiper blades when they are done
You aren’t a mechanic. The blokes in the garage. They are mechanics. Paying someone who knows what they are doing will save you time and money in the long-term.
This is more a big of driving advice than car maintenance advice, but back when learning to drive nearly 30 years ago, I was told: always assume everybody else on the road is a f***ing eejit. And never give them reason to think the same of you. In other words, always make sure you have time and space to react if they do something stupid and unexpected. And don’t do anything like that yourself. Never had an accident yet, touch wood…..
@Jumperoo: best advice on here.
Anyone can drive fast, it’s a smart person that can stop.
Avoid the three “F’s”….
French cars, Fiat and Ford!
Warnings Lights on your dashboard are not for decoration when they stay on.
“Never drive on a flat tyre”. Unbelievably moronic advice. The number of times I’ve seen idiots trying to change a wheel on a busy motorway.- even on the driver side. Squatting on the edge of lane one. It’s just insane. Sacrifice the tyre and crawl to the next exit or pull-in
Best car advice…buy a Toyota
@skeyes: or a Lexus.
@William Grogan: same thing
@skeyes: if you’re cheap & tacky !!!!
Practice changing a flat tyre before you have to do it.
Before my parents let me borrow the car for a long journey, I had to show them that not only did I know how to change it, but also that I was physically capable of jacking up the car and getting the spare into position.
Mercedes, Audi & BMW cars are often prone to leakage of indicator fluid, so make sure yours is always topped up before any journey.
I have my car 12 years and replaced the bosch wiper blades three times. Every six months i take them off and give them a scrub with warm soapy water. They are like new once back on.. thats a tip.
simple and regular oil changes by me has my car at 230,000 miles with a strong engine. Learn to do oil changes and other handy thing from youtube.
Change your gearbox oil..
Check your oil and other fluids and levels such as tyre thread and pressure regularly – 1st of every month is usually a good time keeper to stick with. Once you get a system going it should take you less than 5 minutes.
If buying a used car, let an expert examine it for you. The guys at The AA (http://www.theaa.ie/aa/vehicle-checks/car-inspection.aspx) have a team of engineers with decades of experience and reasonable price for great piece of mind.
Before you go anywhere make sure to put some fuel in the tank.
The arrow on the fuel gauge tells you where the filler cap is. Worked in a petrol station in school and most people have no clue.
Fake news.
@eoin lee: You had a petrol station in your school? Far out man.
Never ever go near a Renault
Sell your modern car ( which is just another grey bubble on the road) and buy a Morris Minor…no computers lots of parts easy to fix and fun to drive and it looks classic!
The most dangerous part of a car is the nut behind the wheel .
Nothing to with car repair, I was told all ways imagine there a child about. To keep you from hitting some one or something.
As a mechanic myself never listen to a mechanic about saving money.
Put it in ‘H’
Send you car through the NCT before you get it checked as the NCT ( although it a money racket) will tell you what you need to get done before you bring it to a mechanic.
@Nucky: NCT doesn’t check everything
Don’t even dream of getting one if you can help it at all. Between exorbitant costs for tax and insurance in this country along with the high cost of the car because of VRT(which no other country pays) Then comes servicing, Tyres, the NCT test, retests, repairs, mechanic costs, the intermittent ECU problem that no one can fix or has ever seen before, but you get charged a arm and a leg to get it looked at, depreciation, replacement costs, etc etc etc. The car just seems to be a bottomless pit to gobble up our hard earned cash, collectively being a cash cow for our government. There is simply no avoiding the costs when we have one. Then we have to get lessons, driver testing, and if were unlucky enough to get caught out on a big wide road going down a hill with a 50 kmph limit by some uniformed sod looking for promotion, the prices rise further with a few points on the licence. Then comes fuel costs, parking costs, the frustration of sitting in traffic queues for hours, toll costs…… Need I go on. Avoid getting a car at all costs if you can, unless you like bleeding money.
@Ian Oh: Check out Jerry Reeds “Lord Mr Ford” on YouTube. Great tune echoing your points
Stay between the ditches. Words to live by.
Check your oil level between services. Don’t ask for advice and still ignore the problem !
Keep it serviced and it will last. My last car had over 300k miles and is still on the road and my current car has over 210k miles and is still flying it and i tow the boat with it on a regular basis.
Also, never buy a french car or a fiat either. Balls of sh ite the lot of them.
My Dad told me: if you are driving through the desert and your car breaks down, shoot a hole in the radiator. The thirst will eventually drive you to drink radiator water, which is poisonous, so remove the temptation straight away.
@Crocodylus Pontifex: so either you’ll die from thirst. .
@Suzie Sunshine: he also said “when fighting Indians always keep the last bullet for yourself”. I’m sure it applies here too.
Expect the unexpected!
change oil and filter every 10,000 miles
Dont buy ford or renault
E stands for EMPTY not enough.
FORD used to mean Fix or Repair Daily…. However in recent years they are much better and reliable..
Have owned several Fords over the years, They do break down occasionally (like every other make ) but they are an honest, good value, solid car. Usually good for up to 300,000 km. still, I prefer Saab. A tank of a chassis, and Scandinavian style. Pity they stopped making them back in oh’11.
A tip for the rural driver…. for every mile of road they are two miles of hedges and ditches
If you can’t find it grind it!
Never had a problem with a Citroen that I couldn’t sort out, great car, great suspensions.
Best advice I can give is ‘never use the handbrake whilst driving’
Unless you are in a Citroen of course and then it can be used to slow the car down if your brakes fail because the handbrake is connected to the front wheels.
In other standard cars the handbrake is connected to the rear wheels and if you lift it whilst driving you will lose control of the car.
Sell the bleedin thing!
Ride me bike instead.
Scrap it.
go electric
Remember every other driver is out to kill you . Drive as if your life depends on it
I was given that advice 30 years ago and ive given it to all my kids
Drove through flood water a few years ago and car wouldn’t start the next day. Guy from AA got me tap starting motor with a sick and hammer while he turned ignition, she started, had to keep them in car until motor was fully dry
Cars kill,
Drive on the correct side of the road!
My dad’s advice was to keep between the ditches.
Don’t put petrol in a diesel car
Stop buying Diesel cars..
Dip! Dip! Dip! – always check the oil!
“The car is a lethal weapon, it can kill anyone, its the most dangerous weapon you will ever have in your hands” I still get the goose bumps on my neck at the very thought of it being true. No truer words were ever spoken to me about driving after my father said that to me. And this was a time when a few pints was able to be had “on the way home” after a match.
My mechanic told me to get rid of my car it was a piece of shit
Don’t be knocking if the rig is rockin.
Beware of the gritting machine as it looms ahead in the dead of night, might aswell get a brillo pad to your paint work.
To never take car advice from a sponsored car add
Don’t buy one.
They’re a money pit.
Drive on the left give way to the right
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