John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he is satisfied with the availability of broadband nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4756/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Considerable progress has been made in recent years in both the coverage and speeds of national broadband infrastructure, with a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. The Government has also undertaken a number of initiatives to bring broadband to those parts of the country where commercial operators have been unable to offer services. The combination of private investment and State interventions means that Ireland has met the EU Commission’s Digital Agenda for Europe target of having a basic broadband service available to all areas by 2013.

The Government, through the National Broadband Plan, which I published on 30 August last year, has recognised that the key imperative now is to ensure high speed broadband availability to all. The Plan commits to high speed broadband availability across the country by ensuring that high speed services of at least 30 Mbps are available to all of our citizens and businesses, well in advance of the EU’s target date of 2020. Ireland is now therefore moving to a new phase of public and private sector investment in broadband in Ireland which will see significantly improved speeds delivered across the country.

As a consequence of the recent multi-band spectrum auction conducted by ComReg, new high speed 4G telecoms services will be rolled out by mobile operators and will significantly increase the speeds available across wireless platforms. In addition, the commercial sector is already investing in high speed fixed line services, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas. The National Broadband Plan commits the Government to investing in areas where high speed services are not commercially viable and will not be provided by the market. This will ensure that citizens or businesses, wherever they are located, have a broadband connection which meets their needs to interact effectively with society and business.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the target broadband speed for semi-urban areas not covered by the National Broadband Strategy; the way these speeds compare to other countries of a similar population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4681/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The National Broadband Plan which I published on 30 August last will radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland. The Plan covers all areas, including semi-urban areas of the country. It commits to high speed broadband availability across the country, well in advance of the EU’s target date of 2020. Specifically, it commits to:

- 70 Mbps to 100 Mbps will be available from the commercial market operators to more than half of the population by 2015;

- At least 40 Mbps, and in many cases faster speeds, to at least a further 20% - and potentially as much as 35% - of the population, and

- A minimum of 30 Mbps for every remaining home and business in the country.

It is not possible for me to say how these targets will compare to the speeds that will prevail in other countries. It is the case, in Europe and elsewhere, that all countries are seeking solutions to the challenge of rolling out high speed services. It is Ireland’s intention to achieve the EU target of 30 Mbps to all, well ahead of the target date of 2020. In any event, when making comparisons of speeds with other countries, care needs to be taken to compare like with like. In Ireland we have a highly dispersed low density population which is in contrast to some other countries, for example in Scandinavia, which have a low population density but whose population is not as highly dispersed.

During the preparation of Ireland’s National Broadband Plan, the commercial market operators indicated that they expect to provide 70 Mbps to 100 Mbps services to 50% of the population by 2015. The commercial sector is already making these investments in high speed services, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas. The Government is also committed in the Plan to investing in areas where high speed services are not commercially viable and will not be provided by the market.

My Department is making preparations to commence a formal national mapping exercise to identify where the market is expected to succeed and fail in the delivery of high speed broadband over the coming years. This will inform the level of Government interaction that may be required and the areas that need to be targeted for a State-led investment. Through the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, we are committed to increasing the availability of next generation speeds significantly, with a view to ensuring that all citizens and business can participate fully in a digitally enabled society.