Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position regarding the national broadband scheme; the cost of the scheme to date and the overall expected cost; if the project is set for completion in September 2010; the maximum and minimum speeds expected for this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16653/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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My Department entered into a contract with "3", a Hutchison Whampoa company, for the delivery of the National Broadband Scheme ("NBS") in late December 2008. Since then, 3 has progressed its network roll out and NBS broadband services are now available in more than sixty percent of the 1,028 designated Electoral Divisions ("ED") to be covered under the Scheme. Under the NBS contract, all EDs in the NBS Coverage Area are required to have broadband connectivity by the end of September 2010. The total current and capital cost of the full roll out of the NBS has been estimated by "3" at some €223m, of which a maximum of €79.8m will be contributed by the Government and the EU. The Exchequer contribution to date under the Scheme amounts to some €45m.

Currently, the mobile wireless broadband service (I-HSPA) specifications include a minimum download speed of 1.2Mbps and a maximum download speed of 5Mbps, a minimum upload speed of 200kpbs and a maximum upload speed of 1.8Mbps. A maximum contention ratio of 36:1 also applies. The satellite product, deployed in a very limited number of cases, has contracted minimum speeds of 1Mbps download and 128kbps upload, with a maximum contention ratio of 48:1.

Under the NBS contract, the mobile wireless broadband products will be upgraded to higher specifications (speeds, contention and data caps) in July 2010 and again in October 2012 without any increase in the monthly recurring charge. Following the 2010 upgrade, NBS subscribers will experience minimum download speeds of 1.6Mbps and maximum download speed of 6.8Mbps, minimum upload speeds of 1.2Mbps and maximum upload speed of 4Mbps, with a maximum contention ratio of 22:1.

Following the 2012 upgrade, NBS subscribers will experience minimum download speeds of 2.3Mbps and maximum download speed of 10.4Mbps, minimum upload speeds of 1.4Mbps and maximum upload speed of 4.8Mbps, with a maximum contention ratio of 18:1. Similarly, following contracted upgrades to the satellite product in July 2012 and again in February 2014, minimum download speeds of 1.6Mbps and 2Mbps respectively, together with a minimum upload speed of 256Kbps and a maximum contention ratio of 48:1, will apply.