BROADBAND INTERNET IN THE DUN LAOGHAIRE AREABy Edward BrophyDL242 Year 4

WHAT’S THE SITUATION?

I want to start up an small business in my locality, a vital part of which is my internet access.

It must be speedy, reliable and cost effective, so what are my options?

GLOSSARY OF KEY DEFINITIONS

MODEM – A device that modulates and demodulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information.

Mb – Unit for measuring information, 1 million bytes.

Gb – Unit denoting 1 billion bytes.

DISTRIBUTION METHODS

Wired Broadband (A)DSL – Digital Subscriber Line:

Internet connectivity is delivered on high frequency telephone line, the signal is then filtered between the phone and modem.

Pros and Cons:Pro: Greatest infrastructure, majority of buildings have copper wire already installed.Con: It’s wired! Peaks at about 20mbps.

DISTRIBUTION METHODS

Fibre Optic / Cable Currently at speeds of 100Mbps.

Google are currently developing 1Gbps fibre wire broadband.

Pros and Cons:Pro: Ultra fast download speeds.Con: Majority of buildings have no fibre optic cables installed.

DISTRIBUTION METHODS

Wireless – WiMax and Wi-Fi Current peak at approx 70mbps. Can

cover a radius of 50km.

Pros and Cons:Pro: Wireless, from provider, not just from modem.Con: Can offer high speed over short distance or low speed over long distance but not both.

DISTRIBUTION METHODS

Satellite Expected to be capable of 1.2gbps

speeds by 2015 with the planned COMMStellation.

Pros and Cons:Pro: Global access.Con: Subject to weather conditions.

WHO ARE THE MAJOR PROVIDERS?

UPCVodaphoneImagineIrish

BroadbandEircom

O2BTMagnetUTV InternetDigiwebOnwave

Majors Minors

SO, WHO CAN GIVE ME ACCESS?

The providers to the greater Dun Laoghaire are:1. Eircom2. Digiweb3. UPC4. Vodaphone5. Imagine6. Onwave

WHAT MEANS DO THEY USE?WIRED:

DSL1. Eircom2. Digiweb3. Vodafone

WHAT MEANS DO THEY USE?FIBRE OPTIC CABLE:

1. UPC

WHAT MEANS DO THEY USE?WIRELESS:

1. Imagine2. Digiweb

WHAT MEANS DO THEY USE?SATELLITE:

1. Digiweb2. Onwave

WHO DO I GO WITH? A ROUNDUP OF THE BEST OFFERS.

I have decided that I want high speed access at an affordable price without compromising on quality. I also want to take care of my home phone needs at the same time and preferably have no download cap. So given that criteria, what offers/bundles will I consider?

OFFER COMPARISON

Features: 10mb speed, phone service.Costs: €99 installation, €25 connection fee, monthly fee €124.95. Total €248.95.Constraints: 25gb dl limit.

Features: 50mb speed, phone service.Costs: €50 connection fee, €45 monthly. Total €95.Constraints: ‘data transfer allowance’ (cap renamed)of 500gb.

Onwave, Satellite “ten+”

UPC, “Fibre Power 50Mb”

Features: 8mb speed DSL, free calls to Irish and UK landlines and mobiles.Costs: Free connection, €59.95 monthly. Total €59.95.Constraints: ‘fair use’ 1,500 phone mins per month, 150gb cap.

Features: Free installation, 8mb speed, unlimited off-peak calls to Irish landlines, 200 off-peak mins on weekdays to Vodafone mobiles.Costs: €48 monthly.Constraints: Contract duration 1 year, 300gb cap

Digiweb “Talk Xtra”Vodafone “Ideal + Talk Off-peak”

THE DECISIONOnwave ‘Ten +’ has phone included,

but the 25gb data transfer limit is a big draw back. It is also the most costly installation and monthly option.

UPC ‘Fibre Power 50Mb’ boasts an impressive 50mb speed and (officially) no data transfer limit. It also includes phone services and the website has confirmed that it is available in my locality.

THE DECISIONDigiweb ‘Talk Xtra’ has free

installation and a monthly cost of €59.95, making it one of the more affordable options. It also has an acceptable data transfer limit of 150gb. It is, however, joint slowest in terms of download speed at 8mb.

Vodafone ‘Ideal + Talk Off-peak’ is also limited to 8mb. The €48 monthly fee makes it the cheapest option, however, there is a 1 year contract with this option.

THE FINAL DECISIONAfter weighing the options in front of me, I have come to the decision that my young business will be using UPC as our internet provider.It is only second best in terms of cost but it offers unrivalled speeds and given the demand for improving fibre optic infrastructure, this seems like a choice that could well prove its worth in the long run.

REFERENCESPrice comparisons, retrieved 20th Oct 2011 from,http://www.bonkers.ie/compare-broadband/dublin-county/broadband-in-dun-laoghaire/Onwave, Packages, retrieved 20th Oct 2011 from,http://www.onwave.ie/packages/broadbandUPC, Fibre Power 50Mb,retrieved 27th Oct 2011 from,http://www.upc.ie/deals/broadbandandphone/fibrepower50mb/Digiweb, Digitalk Voice Services, retrieved 20th Oct 2011 from,http://www.digiweb.ie/business/products/voice/

REFERENCES CONTINUED

Vodaphone, Internet and Broadband, retrieved 20th Oct 2011 from,http://www.vodafone.ie/df/homebroadband/productdetails.jsp?productid=572057&producttypetab=HOMEPHONEBROANDBAND&categorytab=subcategory_2&perlicoid=115059Satellite Technology, Broadband Internet Access, retrieved 27th Oct 2011 from,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadband_Internet_access#Satellite_broadband