Opinion

Will 5G come to the rescue of rural Ireland ? We thought that 5G could be the best hope rural areas have when it comes to getting high-speed internet access.  But we fear that nothing will change enough to make a difference and the have-nots will still go without. Here we are in April 2019 and I fear that will be the case — we’re certain now it will never be the panacea that was promised. Network Some time ago carriers were saying that spectrum licensing would be the greatest hurdle to being able to provide rural broadband using 5G...

There have been some very interesting global developments in the cable industry of late. It is reported that Vodafone may be considering buying Liberty Global International (UPC+Virgin Media). Cable&Wireless Communications have already acquired some of Liberty Global’s assets namely Columbus International.The question that must be asked is are the glory days of cable coming to an end? Eamonn Wallace chairman of IrelandOffline said: “Meanwhile here in Ireland UPC lost about 1,800 customers this quarter. While revenue and margins are holding up (for now), the real problem is this revenue is mainly driven by price increases and higher triple play penetration,...

Now that the excitement of the VDSL rollout has subsided we must keep in mind those who do not currently have access to broadband and the economic damage this can cause. We in IrelandOffline have been contacted by numerous consumers and businesses across the country outlining to us their difficulties with broadband and explaining why the lack of broadband is causing them economic difficulties and costing Ireland many jobs. Why broadband is so important for economic growth The consensus view of organisations such as the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) – two of the world’s most...