Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As I stated earlier, this is a complex procurement process. It is the first time this type of procurement has been used. The advantage with this competitive process is that it will facilitate a far quicker build-out than would have been the case with the traditional procurement processes.

It is a 25-year contract. It is important that we get it right, that we do not do like we did with the electronic voting machine or the national broadband scheme which was obsolete the day it went live. This has to last the period of time. Everyone is focused on a date but the reality is that people are sick and tired of dates being thrown out and then being missed. When I give a date, I want to be able to stand over that date and be definitive in relation to it.

What I am focused on is making this happen as quickly as possible, not only in relation to the high-speed broadband ultimate solution but using the existing infrastructure that has been rolled out to virtually every village across the country to give people opportunities, not only for hot-desking but also for wireless and mobile coverage. Everyone needs a service as quickly as possible. It will be great that people will have the gold-plated service after that but the important point is that they get access to broadband and to mobile phone coverage now.

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