Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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20. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the degree to which high speed broadband services are on target to bring the standard here up to the highest quality in terms of international best practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51674/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The Digital Agenda for Europe set out specific targets for the achievement of high speed broadband services across all Member States. Ireland’s National Broadband Plan which I published in August 2012, aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed services are available to all of our citizens and businesses. The Plan aims to deliver high speed broadband to all parts of Ireland through two principal means: (a) by providing a policy and regulatory framework that assists in accelerating and incentivising commercial investment, and (b) by providing a State-led investment for areas where it is not commercial for the market to invest.

Since the publication of the Plan, there is evidence that industry is investing beyond the targets to which they committed in the Plan. eircom has extended its plans for the rollout of high speed services, with speeds of up to 100Mbps, to 1.4m premises, UPC has increased its minimum and top speed products to 120Mbps and 200Mbps respectively, and mobile operators are rolling out enhanced product offerings, including 4G mobile. Other operators continue to invest and ESB is currently considering the prospect of utilising its distirbution network to rollout fibre broadband services.

These developments have been facilitated through the implementation of measures in the National Broadband Plan, including the conclusion of ComReg's multiband spectrum auction, and the new regulatory regime for fixed line Next Generation Access and service bundles. Both of these measures are designed to incentivise the rollout of services by operators.

In tandem with these developments, intensive work is underway in my Department to progress a State-led investment to secure the countrywide introduction of next generation broadband access. In order to progress the State-led investment for areas where it is not commercial for the market to invest, a full procurement process must be designed and EU State Aids approval must be obtained. My Department is engaged in a comprehensive mapping exercise of the current and anticipated investment by the commercial sector over the coming years, the results of which will inform the areas that need to be targeted in the State-led investment as envisaged in the National Broadband Plan.

Intensive technical, financial and legal preparations, including stakeholder engagement, are ongoing. The procurement process for the approved intervention will be carried out in accordance with EU and Irish procurement rules and it is expected that it will be launched in 2014.

It is the case, in Europe and elsewhere that all countries are seeking solutions to the challenge of rolling out quality broadband services. When making comparisons with other countries, care needs to be taken to compare like with like. In Ireland we have a highly dispersed low density population, in contrast to some other countries. Additionally, the manner in which broadband speeds are calculated is relevant. OECD publishes advertised speeds without reference to customer access. The speeds are the highest speeds marketed nationally. These comparisons do not necessary reflect universal public access to those speeds.

The availibility and uptake of higher speed offerings in the market place in Ireland is evident, with the largest growth in subscriptions taking place in the category of speeds greater than or equal to 30Mbps, at 29.9% at end Q2 2013.

Through the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, I am committed to ensuring that all parts of Ireland have access to high speed broadband, with a view to ensuring that all citizens and businesses can participate fully in, and maximise the benefits of, a digitally enabled economy and society.