Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1178. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he is taking to expand the eduroam network to all towns and villages in County Cork. [2591/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In the context of the shift to online teaching and learning that has arisen from the public health restrictions, it is a significant priority for me to provide support to students to facilitate connectivity, and to examine options designed to seek to minimise the extent to which connectivity challenges act as a barrier to full participation in higher and further education.

Rollout of the eduroam network is a major component of that endeavor. The eduroam project team and HEAnet, who are the national operator for eduroam in Ireland, have been doing excellent work in rolling out eduroam across the country. The following represents the status of eduroam in Ireland as of 12 January 2021:

Public Libraries

eduroam is now live at 162 libraries in 29 county and city councils

Locations added recently: Longford (Drumlish, Edgeworthstown & Lanesborough), Wicklow (Wicklow Town)

eduroam is due to be provisioned at additional Libraries in a number of counties

For example: Wicklow, Waterford & Tipperary

In discussion with Laois county libraries re the possibility of making eduroam available at their public libraries

National Museum

- Meeting with the National Museum to review deployment of eduroam at their five (05) sites

- The National Museum are currently upgrading/installing Public Wi-Fi at these locations

- Looking to enable eduroam initially at their Swords collections site in early 2022

- Will then enable at the remaining sites 

Transport

- eduroam is available on five Dublin Bus routes (4, 9, 13, 39 & 46A)

- We are working to make eduroam available on additional Dublin Bus routes (C3 & C4 routes to Maynooth) 

Commercial Locations

- eduroam is now available at Ireland West (Knock) Airport

- eduroam is now available at a small number of Gourmet Burger Kitchen restaurants (03) and Costa Coffee shops (02) locations

BCPs (Broadband Connection Points)

- The interconnect between Vodafone and HEAnet is up and running

- We are currently testing the configuration at a BCP location

HEAnet have made significant progress in expanding eduroam Wi-Fi in County Cork beyond the traditional campus locations to areas within the wider community. In addition to on-campus locations such as UCC and MTU, eduroam is currently available in 43 off-campus locations in County Cork. 

Cork City  

- 10 Public Libraries: Bishopstown, Blackpool, Cork City & County Archives, Hollyhill, Mayfield, Tory Top, Glanmire, Blarney, Ballincollig & Douglas 

- 04 Public Spaces:?City Hall, City and County Archives, Lifetime Lab & Fitzgerald Park 

- 01 GAA:? Páirc Uí Chaoimh Conference Centre 

Cork County 

- 21 Public Libraries:?Ballyvourney, Bandon, Bantry, Carrigaline, Castletownbere, Charleville, Clonakilty, Cobh, Dunmanway, Fermoy, Kinsale, Macroom, Mallow, Midleton, Millstreet, Mitchelstown, Newmarket, Passage West, Schull, Skibbereen & Youghal 

- 06 Public Spaces: Youghal Tourist Plaza and Quay, Spike Island, Mallow Castle, Macroom Square, Bantry Square & County Hall Campus 

- 01 Commercial Free Wi-Fi: Kinsale Town: Market Square, Town Square, Emmet Place, Pearse Street, Main Street, Main Town Car Park, Guardswell, The Glen & Pier Road 

HEAnet hope to continue expanding the service to many new locations that would benefit students, such as town centres, transport services, and commercial locations. The current focus is on enabling eduroam at BCP (Broadband Connection Points) locations nationwide, which could allow students to access eduroam in approximately 15 new locations in County Cork. 

Our ambition is to make the eduroam service widely available, to as many students as possible, and HEAnet are keen to work with organisations that wish to include their public Wi-Fi in the eduroam service. 

Details of eduroam locations in Ireland are available here: www.eduroam.ie/eduroam-in-Ireland.