The Government has begun a plan to assess which towns and villages across the country are likely to receive high-speed broadband from commercial providers. A national mapping exercise has commenced, with the intention of identifying parts of the country that will not be served with high-speed broadband without State intervention. This National Broadband Mapping Exercise is part of the project to implement the overall National Broadband Plan. The Plan aims to deliver high-speed broadband to the whole of Ireland through a combination of public and private investment, even in remote areas where current download speeds can be as little as 1Mbps or 2Mbps. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, which is running the mapping project, aims to deliver broadband speeds of at least 30Mbps to every home and business in the country, no matter how isolated. Not only that, but the Department has also promised broadband speeds of between 70Mbps and 100Mbps to half of the population by 2015. This new mapping exercise will help to identify broadband services (basic broadband and next-generation access, or NGA) already in place and where there are plans for such services in the coming three years. To understand where broadband services are provided, the Department needs information relating to the infrastructure used by telecoms operators to provide those services and the extent of the coverage. [login type="readmore"] This information will then be used to develop maps identifying those areas that will be served with NGA by private operators within the next three years. In areas where there are no plans by commercial operators to introduce such services, State-backed funding in broadband infrastructure will be necessary to ensure the roll-out of NGA in line with the National Broadband Plan. BROADBAND OPERATORS Participation in this exercise is likely to be of interest to operators of infrastructure who are currently offering, or intend by 1 July 2016, to offer a broadband service to customers. The project requires voluntary participation from these telecoms companies, and the Government is encouraging all private operators to participate fully. The Department has written to all undertakings authorised by Comreg to offer broadband services, inviting them to participate in the exercise. A deadline of 23 August has been set for companies to submit mapping information and data. Participants will be expected to conclude a standard agreement with the Department governing their participation in the mapping exercise. These agreements set out the stages envisaged for the mapping exercise, data confidentiality in relation to infrastructure operated by participants and the commercial confidentiality of information passed to the Department as well as timelines and deadlines to be observed. The resulting maps will be published for public consultation, in line with the EU State Aid Guidelines for Broadband. They will be developed using data aggregated from all participating operators and will not be directly attributed to individual participants. Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, launched the mapping exercise early this month. “This information is needed to develop maps identifying those areas which will be served with fast broadband speeds by private operators and those areas where intervention by Government will be necessary to deliver the speeds required by the National Broadband Plan,” he said. FILLING THE BROADBAND GAPS “We’ll work our way through a map of Ireland, community by community, to see which streets and roads, which towns and villages will be offered fast broadband by the commercial operators and, as a result, to spot the gaps that we need to fill with State-supported investment,” Rabbitte continued. Initial participation from operators has been positive so far, according to the Minister. “Participation in this exercise is voluntary and it’s a matter for each company to decide on its own behalf,” he said. “However, I’m encouraged by the supportive attitude of the industry towards the National Broadband Plan. I’d urge all operators in the telecommunications industry to participate as fully as possible. The information gathered will be used to confirm where it’s sensible to use public money.” The Department has also highlighted the launch of 4G mobile broadband this year as another method of achieving the high download speeds promised in the National Broadband Plan. “I look forward to considerable engagement with private and public sector stakeholders to ensure this Plan is implemented swiftly, so that a connected society is delivered within the lifetime of this Government,” Rabbitte added. Full details about the mapping process can be found on the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resource’s website at www.dcenr.ie/nbpmapping.