Broadband choices and options in Ireland (Updated July 2007)
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Broadband in Ireland: Broadband types, products and reviews. Update July 2007.
Broadband Types
DSL Broadband
This is broadband over copper wires. The most common form of broadband in Ireland and most other countries. It allows you to still get incoming calls and make outgoing calls while a broadband signal is also sent down your phoneline. The further you are from your phone exchange, the weaker the signal and the slower the speed. Most DSL connections will offer a minimum of 1Mbps. You pay more if you want higher speeds but even the best lines in this country can manage 6-7 Mbps at most. Some companies like Magnet offer another form of DSL called ADSL2+ which can bump the speeds to 12Mbps or higher but again you pay a very high price for it.
Cable
This is broadband over the same cable or cable network that brings you your TV signal. You don’t need a phoneline to get broadband with this service. NTL and Chorus are the main providers of cable broadband in Ireland. NTL makes you sign up for their TV service, if you want to get their broadband service.
Wireless
Companies like Clearwire and Irish Broadband offer services where all you need is a small device plugged into your computer to receive a broadband signal. No wires and no aerials are needed for their basic services. For those that don’t want a phoneline, this will save you paying over €25 just for a copper line. Their higher-end services do require an antenna on the roof. Other providers such as Digiweb also offer wireless services and again you need an antenna on the roof but do not need a phone line. Some wireless services start at €20 a month with antenna installations starting at €99.
Wireless - 3G
Using a small USB modem, you can receive relatively fast broadband, no matter what your location. Ideal for business people and college students who come home on weekends and for the summer. Many wireless and telephone broadband blackspots are able to receive 3G signals so if your line fails the broadband test, look at getting 3G.
Wireless - WiMax
A still developing wireless technology, Irish Broadband have been claiming to be offering it of late. Their equipment supplier has it alright, not sure has it actually been deployed to their customer base. eircom will start deploying WiMax to the 5 main cities around September/October 2007 to counter the threat from cable competition. You will still need to be a landline customer and HAVE to fail the broadband line test, before they set you up with the WiMax service.
Not Broadband
Some providers claim to supply “broadband” services or broadband-like services. Unless something is an always-on, two-way service with proper service and without lag, then it cannot be called broadband.
Satellite Internet
This is high speed Internet. It is expensive to install for two-way with install prices going from €500 all the way up to €2k. Speeds range from 512k down 128up to 2mb down (theoretical) and 1mb up. Other services (rotten mutton dressed as lamb) offering “satellite broadband” but are in fact one way broadband services, where you have to upload over dialup which will either cost you per minute or cost you the price of a flatrate dialup package, which only allows you 150-210 hours per month usage.
ISDN
Faster than dialup, very expensive service which is still offered to people who want broadband. A complete rip-off where are you are charged the price of two phone calls if you want to use the 128k version of this.
Explanation of Terms:
LLU:
Broadband over a phoneline with equipment owned by someone that is not eircom. BT, Smart and Magnet have LLU services.
Download speed:
This is the speed when you download from the Internet. Download speeds range from 512k to 8mb
Upload speed:
The speed you send information to the Internet. Important to have a good upload speed if you use VOIP technology or upload a lot of photos to websites.
Cap/Download Cap:
The amount you can download per month. For a regular family, a download cap of 8gb would suffice. For someone that downloads a lot of music, films and TV programmes then caps nearer to 30gb might be necessary.
Contention Ratio:
The amount of people sharing one connection. Generally ratios are 48:1 or 24:1. As not everyone is constantly uploading or downloading from the Internet but starting, stopping, reading, starting etc it means that an Internet connection can be efficiently shared amongst many people. This is a contention ratio. The lower the ratio the better.
While broadband is becoming readily available in cities and towns in Ireland it is still not as available in rural locations as can be seen from this map of Ireland. Each yellow circle indicates where you can get broadband:
To find out what type of broadband is available to you, you can log on to the Government broadband website http://www.broadband.gov.ie. Choose your location and it will tell you what type of services are available to you. Depending on your location it will list various types of broadband.
DSL (broadband over phone line)
Majority now are 6 month contracts.
75% of population can avail of this. You keep your number. Pay for line rental separately unless in a bundle.
eircom are planning to upgrade the following exchanges in 2007 and have said another 300 will be upgraded after 2007 but “after” is a very loose term.
DSL Products without bundling
Please note I am including packages where you can get the broadband package without having to buy the telephone package too.
BT Ireland
BT (basic modem included for free)
Notes: €45 extra for wireless modem
€45 Connection fee. Fee is waived for customers who are transferring their Broadband service from eircom, Perlico, UTV, Imagine, Gaelic Telecom, Digiweb DSL and have their own modem.
Basic Package
Speed: 1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 10GB
Price: €20 per month
Value Package
Speed: 2Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 20GB
Price: €30 per month
Deluxe Package
Speed: 3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: 24 : 1
Download Cap: 30GB
Price: €40 per month
eircom
Free connection, free wireless modem.
eircom broadband home starter
Speed:1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention:48 : 1
Download Cap: 10GB
Price:€24.99 per month
eircom broadband home plus
Speed:2Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:48 : 1
Download Cap: 20GB
Price:€ 29.99
eircom broadband home professional
Speed: 3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: 24 : 1
Download Cap: 30GB
Price:€ 48.40 per month
eircom business
eircom broadband business plus
Speed: 4M/384k
Download Cap: 60G per month
Price: €89 (ex VAT)
eircom broadband business enhanced
Speed: 6M/512k
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €169 (ex VAT)
Perlico Broadband
€ 49.99 connection fee. Free modem. Wireless modem costs extra.
Perlico Always On Broadband
Speed: 1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 6GB
Price: € 16.99
Broadband Plus
Speed: 2Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 12GB
Price: € 24.99
LLU Products
Theoretically you can now retain your number when you move to these LLU services. previous to 2007, this was not possible.
Smart Telecom
Prices include line rental at €24.18. Standard modem included for free. Wireless modem is extra.
Smart Broadband 3mb
Speed: 3Mb download/256Kb
Contention: No contention
Download Cap: None
Price: € 39.99
Smart Broadband 5mb
Speed: 5Mb download
Contention: No contention
Download Cap: None
Price: € 44.99
Magnet Business Broadband (ADSL2+)
€165 connection fee. Line rental extra at €15 a month ex vat. Magnet have stopped offering a consumer product and they no longer offer their TV service except to those on fibre.
Speed: 3Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:
Download Cap: None
Price: € 50
Speed: 4Mb download/512k Upload
Contention: No contention
Download Cap: None
Price: € 75
Speed: 6Mb download/512k upload
Contention: No contention
Download Cap: None
Price: € 115
Speed: 8Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: No contention
Download Cap: None
Price: € 149
Speed: 10Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: No contention
Download Cap: None
Price: € 165
Wireless Products
Digiweb
Antenna needs to be installed on your roof/chimney. No landline is needed. €99 installation fee.
Digiweb Metro Lite
Speed: 1MB down 256kb up
Contention: 40 : 1
Download Cap: 10GB
Price: € 19.95
Digiweb Metro
Speed: 3MB down 512kb up
Contention:36 : 1
Download Cap: 30Gb
Price: € 34.99
Digiweb Metro Plus
Speed: 5MB down 1mb up
Contention: 20 : 1
Download Cap: 60Gb
Price: € 78.65
Digiweb Metro Xpress
Speed: 8Mb down 2Mb up
Contention: 20 : 1
Download Cap: 120Gb
Price: € 163.35
Clearwire (broadband in a box solutions)
12 month contract. €39 connection fee.
ClearStart
Speed: 512kb
Unknown
Download Cap: 5GB
Price: € 24.95
ClearFreedom
Speed: 1Mbps
Contention: Unknown
Download Cap: 10GB
Price: € 29.95
ClearPerformer
Speed: 2Mbps
Contention: Unknown
Download Cap: 10GB
Price: € 49.95
Irish Broadband
Ripwave is broadband in a box. No installation needed. No phoneline needed
Irish Broadband Ripwave
Speed: 512k 128k up
Contention: 40:1
Download Cap: None
Price: € 18.95
Connection fee: € 37.50
Ripwave Plus
Speed:1Mb download and 256k upload
Contention: 40:1
Download Cap: None
Connection fee: € 37.50
Fixed install products.
(Needs antenna.) Free connection. 12 month contract.
Breeze 2Mb
Speed: 2MB up 2MB down
Contention: 24 : 1
Download cap None
Price: € 35.99
Breeze 3Mb
Speed: 3MB up 3MB down
Contention: 24 : 1
Download cap None
Price: € 48.40
3G Wireless
Vodafone 3G Broadband
Speed: Speeds of up to 1.4Mbps
Contention: Unknown
Download cap: 5GB
Price: €14.99 for the first three months and €29.99 thereafter
Modem price: €99 for USB modem
Contract: 18 Month contract
3 3g broadband
Speed: Speeds of up to 3.6Mbps
Download cap: 10GB
Price: €20 a month
Modem price: €129 for USB modem
Contract: 12 month contract
o2 3g broadband
Speed: Speeds of up to 3.6Mbps
Download cap: 10GB
Price: For non 02 customers €20 per month and €40 per month thereafter
Modem price: €69 for USB modem
Contract: 12 month contract
Cable Broadband
NTL Broadband
No connection fee, wireless modem is € 49.99
You have to sign up to their TV package.
NTL Broadband Value
Speed: 1MB down 100Kb up
Download cap: 2GB
Price: €9.99 first 3 months, €19,99 thereafter
NTL Broadband Starter
Speed: 2 Mb down 200Kb up
Download cap: 16GB
Price: €14.99 for first 3 months, €24.99 thereafter
NTL Broadband
Speed: 3MB down 300Kb up
Download cap: 30GB
Price: €19.99 first three months, €29.99 thereafter
NTL Broadband Max
Speed: 6MB down 512Kb up
Download cap: 40GB
Price: €29.99 first three months, €39.99 thereafter
Chorus Broadband
Connection fee is is € 49.99, wireless modem is free.
Cablenet Broadband Value
Speed: 1MB down 100Kb up
Download cap: 2GB
Price: €19.99 a month
Cablenet Broadband Easy
Speed: 2 Mb down 200Kb up
Download cap: 16GB
Price: €24.99 month
Cablenet Broadband
Speed: 3MB down 300Kb up
Download cap: 30GB
Price: €29.99 a month
Cablenet Broadband Plus
Speed: 6MB down 512Kb up
Download cap: 40GB
Price: €39.99 a month
If you have a query about broadband, may I suggest you post it on the Boards.ie broadband forum, your questions in the comments will not be answered.
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February 9th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
wow! an incredibly comprehensive list. thanks for that. will be bookmarking for future reference, cheers!
February 9th, 2006 at 4:42 pm
Rumour in the industry is that Irish Broadband’s backbone is maxed out and that is contributing to their service problems. Probably a side effect of their recent popularity.
BTW, no NTL on the list?
February 9th, 2006 at 4:45 pm
Oversight on my behalf when I was putting it together. Thanks for reminding me. I’ll add them in too.
February 9th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
Great stuff Damien. Can you give more specifics on the 24MB offering from Magnet. What’s the d/l speed and contention ratio for starters?
February 9th, 2006 at 5:31 pm
Download is 24Mbps in theory. Works out at 18Mbps in reality or less again if the lines are shitty, which is not that rare. Dunno about the contention. I would assume that it is low enough with that price tag.
February 9th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
It’s a noncontended service because it’s delivered using ADSL2+ technology. Has to be if they are providing broadband, Internet and telephone through the one connection
February 9th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
Thanks for this; perfect timing, since I’ll be shopping around in a week or two
I’ll blog this at http://taint.org/ .
BTW one correction — according to the linked page, Smart Telecom appears to have 256Kbps upload, not 512.
February 9th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Broadband choices in Ireland
Perfect timing! Just 5 days before I return to Ireland, Damien
Mulley posts ‘Broadband choices in
Ireland’, a
good overview of the options available for consumer broadband internet
connection.
I’ve been out of the loop for quite a w…
February 9th, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Fixed the link Justin.
February 9th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
Awesome List! Much easier than digging through a Boards.ie thread!
February 9th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
We’re on NTRBroadband, the Northern Ireland rebranding of IrishBroadband and, to be honest, we’ve had one outage in a year. Not bad compared to BT to be honest. Very pleased with them (and the 2Mbps upload is SWEET)
February 9th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
[…] Damien outlines all the Broadband choices in Ireland. It’s a fantastic guide. I quite fancy a bit of that Magnet 24 Mbps package. […]
February 9th, 2006 at 11:20 pm
Thanks Damien!
February 10th, 2006 at 12:53 am
No doubt James will want to make an OPML fle of the links so I’ll go and seek out other providers and help make a node or whatever these things are called.
February 11th, 2006 at 6:50 pm
NTL regularly do introductory offers (particlarly if their BB is new to an area) - so we didn’t pay a connection fee, had 3 months free broadband, and 12 months free cable TV (which we got at the same time). Couldn’t have asked for more. Service since then has been great. Very happy with it.
February 12th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Damien,
thanks a lot for the list which is in perfect time for me - looking for broadband in 1 -2 wks.
Two questions please:
1. Why no refs to UTV broadband
2. Can you explain contention ratio for non techno geek
February 12th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Donal,
They were the best and now they’re one of the worst. Their service has gone downhill rapidly and despite repeated attempts by myself and IrelandOffline to engage with them they’ve given us the brush off. One of the only ISPs to do so.
Check out their support forums to see how pissed off people are. Their caps aren’t the best either. More here and here
Contention is the potential number of people sharing the net connection. Since nobody is uploading and downloading 24/7 but in spurts it means you can put X no. of people on the same connection and generally they will all still enjoy good speeds. So contention ratios means the number of people sharing the connection to the net.
48:1 means 48 people will share the same 3mb section of Internet. This isn’t too bad and might only affect you at very peak times and it won’t wreck your speeds. 24:! is a better experience obviously. The lower-end products are at 48:1
I’ll add in UTV Internet soon and make some amendments to the Clearwire section.
February 13th, 2006 at 1:01 am
Any word on the availability of broadband in more rural areas? I live 5miles outside of Dundalk, and I am currently unable to get any sort of broadband. Its really annoying me, dial-up is a nightmare! Fair play on the list.
February 13th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
Fair play to you, Damien.
You’re a good egg.
February 13th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Cheers Damien, am looking for new provider, very helpful.
February 14th, 2006 at 12:26 am
Fantastic Damien. Would you mind if I pasted your address on a mailing list which i access?
February 14th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
Just to concur with David in Dundalk , I live 5 miles outside Kilkenny
plenty of companys competing with each other in town, 5 miles out nada….
If you know of anything in the offing please let me know.
Great list! something to refer to if they ever reach the sticks!!!!
February 14th, 2006 at 11:16 pm
This is what I’ve been looking for. Well done, Damien.
I had to jump through all sorts of hoops trying to get this information, only to find no-one is offering any kind of broadband (except millionaires-only-sattellite!) here. I’m 3 miles from Ballinalee, which should mean I could get Eircom’s package, but due to very poor line quality (which they refuse to upgrade, at any price!!!) it is not available.
Do you know of any wireless companies considering this area, or any Eircom competitors who might consider installing a higher quality line, rather than simply leasing the old eircom one?
Thanks
Duncan
February 14th, 2006 at 11:39 pm
Peter, work away.
Cool Runnings. I don’t know of anything yet. Are there GBS projects in your area? When I have time I’ll explain GBS projects.
Duncan. Same advice for you as cool runnings. Have you tested your neighbours line? Maybe you could then connect wirelessly to a neighbour?
Have you all looked at the providers on http://broadband.gov.ie ?
February 20th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
Damien,
Well done on your list.
I noticed that you dont have netsource listed?
cheers
February 21st, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Great info. I too want broadband but in Co Roscommon just north of Athlone nothing available. There was talk that Eircom were upgrading the line to be effective last October, but nothing has happenned, and I cant get any info.
Regards Donal
February 22nd, 2006 at 8:42 am
To those in broadband free rural areas, it’s not much consolation but I was unable to get DSL in Ranelagh Dublin 6!!!! Dial up was abysmal as well.
February 22nd, 2006 at 11:47 pm
Guys,
A word of warning. If anything goes wrong with your braodband service with UTV you are screwed. I signed up with UTV last november and Eircom messed up with the new phone number. When they issued me with a new number I lost UTV broadband. I have called them over 40 times and they say the same thing everytime - “You should have broadband. I dont understand why not” . I have been without broadband for 12 weeks now and I am being charged by both Eircom and UTV for the same service. Funny how UTV have no problem with taking money out of my account for a service that I dont even have.
My biggest issue is that they have no custome service to complain to. Only a “supervisor” who now never returns my calls.
I could not recommend dealing with such incompetent fools!!
February 27th, 2006 at 5:24 pm
Waiting since June for Smart Telecom- as I am on Crumlin exchange seems not possible until upgraded-long wait.
Tried Irish Broadband €18.95 deal- not available either in this area apparently.
February 28th, 2006 at 5:07 am
Hi Damien,
I had a problem with my dial up connection,Eircom have these lines for support,(rubbish) did you ever get the feeling that the person your talking to is reading a script and if your particular problem is out side the box ,”TOUGH” they did not want to know.I got so fed up ringing different numbers that I would have walked through fire to get away from them….
How about Broadband ? Not as easy as I thaught ? The lines are not up to date in Donaghmede so it seems, Do we get a discount for the fact we are stuck with an old system,Not at all ! We do how ever get charged the exact same as anyone with an updated Line system ! !
Do I really want something stuck to the roof of my house(my wife doesnt),just so I can get away from a another system that Bugs me any way,If the service (surpport) for the dial up is this bad, what is the surrport for a more expensive system,,,,, More expencive headaches !
Any sujestions !
February 28th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
Hi, found this article very informative. I’m a complete novice on this sort of thing though. I am a student who is sharing an apartment in D4. I want to get broad band for my laptop but don’t want to have to sign any long term contracts etc. We have NTL in the Apartment if I sign up for their service what exactly needs to be installed?
February 28th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Baldbaby: Netsource are good but might get rebranded now that Magnet bought them.
Donal: You may need to start a Group Broadband Scheme. Look at http://broadband.gov.ie to see are there other suppliers of broadband in your area.
Aidan: Go here http://shop.netsource.ie/partners/prequal_popup.php and check if your line passes or fails the line test. You should also see if the line is on an enabled exchange. David McRedmond was just on Pat Kenny stating that if your line fails they’ll have someone in eircom try and fix or replace the line if you confirm you will order broadband. They might do the same for a line that is not on a broadband exchange but that you want a decent dial-up signal on it.
Nicola: NTL will send someone out to connect a broadband modem if you already have their TV package. ripwave does the shortest contract - 1month. The dsl sellers now give you 6 month contracts.
March 2nd, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Guyz.. I ordered a Digweb 3mb connection. They said it talks 4 weeks to install!! I said fine I ll wait.. after 4 weeks a guy came to my house he walked around my house and then came to me and said.. Bud.. no signal here so I cant install it here..!!
i was like what the hell!! why couldnt you told me that before?? I was waiting for the connecdtion for 4 weeks!!
Now wat.. I have to find a new connection..
March 2nd, 2006 at 7:14 pm
hey im on eircom broadband, just wondering if theres a way to check how much i have downloaded/ if i am approaching my cap?
March 6th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
Thanks Damien, great summary!
Our small company uses Irish Broadband with very poor results, yet we are paying a premium! We need 3mg UP at least, sometimes we only get 44k up, sometimes 300k up, we are located in Dublin 8, has anybody got any ideas how we could get this, Ireland is like a third world country for broadband!
March 7th, 2006 at 12:41 am
Thanks for info.
I was on Eircom but they somehow could not give me DSL over ISDN and had to order another line. This is possible but apparently in Ireland it is not installed by any provider but it would be ideal for small businesses. Also it turned out to be too expensive in the long run.
Now I have Irish Broadband - 1MB up and 1MB down. Works fine.
Just got an 076 number from Blueface and intend to port my Geographic number to them soon - €10 per month. Bye Bye Eircom & ‘Monthly Line Rental’ and annoying 1901…….
March 7th, 2006 at 8:03 pm
is bt option 1 alright for online gaming
March 8th, 2006 at 11:58 pm
can you please advise if onspeed is any advantage.
March 9th, 2006 at 12:39 am
Thanks for this good list
I opted to get rip wave irish broad band 4 month deal paid €75 up front
I use it blackrock evening and IFSC city centre days
servise is a tad slow centre city and friends in some sectors of city suffer slow evening speeds
when this 4 months is up might opt for digiweb fixxed position as as it looks the best deal for me as I wont be in IFSC after May
What everybody should know is lots of the other systems seem to need Eircoms line to work first before they can give you the service and so this smacks of they are only in Ireland to for the money and wont invest in the long term haul and supply affordable broadband to everybody in IRELAND so my money goes to the companies that seem to look set to supply the outer reaches of Ireland as who knows mayby I will have to move there for work reasons
Price is important but the broadband supplier that has a mission statement broadband for all is the best to support and that does not seem to be many of the telephone line providers
If your in sticks ville the only affordable solution is the http://www.crosscountrybroadband.com satilite telephone 250kb service €23.50 PM
Ralfe
March 15th, 2006 at 12:45 am
Some great options but Ireland’s internet services are so poor.I’ve been using IBB for over a year[ before they upgraded it to 2mb] ,before when it was 1 mb speeds were 120k, but now i’d be lucky to get 100 constant.Now and again it bursts up to 150-200k but mainly stays in the region of 40-50K.I’d skip IBB as a possible alternative because its not cheap[ E50/month]. Now its a matter of time till ADSL+2 is widespread, until then prices for high end speeds will be too high for the general population. I believe france has a 24mb/1mb connection and its not even 50/month.
”With great speeds comes great responsibities”
Is this what isp’s think of when it comes to limits.If you’re going to cap it at a certain amount/month then whats the point of having a 20mb connection.When ISP’s start to acknowledge that broadband nowadays is used to upload/download large files / online gaming is when these ‘’standard” speeds will be realised. Compare Ireland with sweden,france ,korea,japan…
I just hope that day comes soon because i’ve just ditched Irishbroadband, Smart here i come.
March 15th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
Great list!! Badly needed. Was with Eircom for a year - terrible service in my opinion. Support was non-existent. Over-priced also…was charged for the service for 3 months after it was cancelled!! On the hunt again for a better set-up, this list will come in very handy. Fair play!
March 16th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Thanks for taking the time to put the info up.
Just a word on BT. Don’t take the phone bundle from them. I did and it was a total nightmare. Hours spent on the phone in q queue. The broadband worked fine; it was just the phone service that was a disaster.
Anyway, I have now moved house and have just got a phone line after 4 months waiting for Eircom to put one in.
No broadband yet, so I am on the Vodaphone 3G (which is only GPRS (dial-up speed) unless you’re *really* close to the transmitter).
Eoghan.
March 17th, 2006 at 8:04 pm
Is there a package in Ireland which offers adsl plus unlimited phonecalls in Ireland and cable? Or even just adsl and unlimited phonecalls in Ireland?
March 19th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Revised spelling from above
Hi all,
Ripwave a disaster have it since November 05 in Glasnevin, Dublin, first three weeks was around 100 download since then averages between 1.97 kps and if Im very lucky around 20 (using http://www.irishisptest.com to verify speeds) Customer service when they eventually replied after a month just said move it around the house, no good of course, renting and not allowed to put up a mast anyone know anothet wireless method not requiring a mast?
Cheers
Andy
March 20th, 2006 at 3:05 pm
Do you know of any other companies that offer the free national calls in their broadband package? And does that mean calls to any line, even to subscribers of other phone companies? Thanks.
March 23rd, 2006 at 6:59 pm
I am with Irish Broadband Breeze 2MB, 24:1. Based in city centre beside their James Gate antenna. Absolutely rubbish service. Keep away from Irish Broadband. The list looks great, think I’ll go for Smart Telecom.Thanks Pearse.
March 24th, 2006 at 4:03 pm
Yeah thanks Donal great list.
I just want to agree with everyone giving out about IBB. Have the Ripwave service in Blackrock, terrible waste of money but don’t want pay for a phone line. Just to let you all know there’s another Wireless company offering service to northsiders called Ice
http://www.icecomms.net
http://www.icecomms.ie/broadband.html
Check out the first link for how not to build a website. Havent heard any oppinons on them. They ve got to be better than IBB though.
March 25th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
The eircom site says that the contention ratio for broadband home plus is 24:1 not 48:1. Do you not believe them?
Also, digiweb seem to have the best value DSL packages atm. Any reason you didn’t include them?
March 25th, 2006 at 1:40 pm
Rowan, maybe I made an error? You think that might actually be possible? Strange but when I made this I could have sworn it was 48:1. Changed it now.
Rowan, supply me with the Digiweb stuff and I’ll add it. Nowhere is this advertised as the most comprehensive broadband list for Ireland. Read the introductory note and you’ll see it was put together to help a Sunday Times journalist.
March 28th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
Superb list, well done.
I am one of the many frustrated Irish Broadband customers (Breeze, not Ripwave) (Blackrock, Dublin). I have decided to vote with my wallet and change suppliers, probably to ADSL, possibly from Imagine. I am on the Eircom Priory exchange.
One criteria I will use in selecting my new supplier is if they use ADSL2+. Do you know which suppliers are investing heavily in an ADSL 2+ roll-out and in particular do you know if Imagine Broadband are using ADSL 2+ in Priory? I know my question is very exchange-specific, but I just thought I would ask in case someone knows the answer.
In general are Imagine Broadband good/medium/bad for A/Speed and B/support?
Thanks
March 30th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Hi Damien,
Cinergi Telecom ( http://www.cinergi.ie ) offers fantastic Broadband packages starting at 9.99 per month. I get “Always on” for only 15.99 per month and find it brilliant value.
Thanks,
Neil.
April 2nd, 2006 at 5:44 pm
Damien,
I am looking for a satellite Broadband and TV provider. Is there such a beast to be had in Ireland and from whom???.
Many Thanks in anticipation.
Chris Heaphy(ucc)
April 3rd, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Just got IBB on Friday, been surfing all weekend and must say I’m pretty disappointed with speeds etc, cancelling service today.
April 6th, 2006 at 8:07 am
Hi,
Im looking for wireless broadband that doesn’t require an antenna, to be used on a laptop in both kildare and limerick. Is that possible? I dont need anything fancy just the basic internet package. I would appreciate any help with this as I’m a sad case when it comes to technology!
Thanks in advance
April 6th, 2006 at 8:13 am
Anne Marie I’d suggest a 3G card from Vodafone. It’ll cost a bit though.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:57 am
Hi Damien,
A note for those living in the Midlands Broadband blackspots, there’s a company called Last Mile Broadband http://www.lastmile.ie who provide wireless BB in the midlands. Extremely expensive compared to fixed line BB but then beggars can’t be choosers.
They have pretty good coverage of the Westmeath, Offaly area and beyond.
Regards!
April 7th, 2006 at 11:10 am
Had Vodafone Mobile card for use in Lucan, Dublin and Bishopstown, Cork. Worked a treat until near Christmas. Upgraded to 3G, which worked brilliant till Feb, then kept crashing in both locations. After talking to Vodafone (very helpful and efficient) they have switched me back to GRPS - too many people using 3G for current network, they said. Expensive way to connect, but ideal in my case because (1) work laptop and (2) u sing frommultiple locations (3) not downloading heavy content (mostly emails).
Thanks for super list.
April 7th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Hi Damian,
Got ripwave up in Sandyford, ticknock, so close to their transmitter. Straight forward setup and install.. Was superbly fast for 24-48 hours and then barely able to connect,, device itself remains showing the same signal strengt and quality as before the bandwidth vanished, but although the Lease is obtained for the IP address there is 0.02% network utilisation and can’t browse to any site, or ping any address from the command prompt.
Judging by peoples reactions to the support lines offered I am not going to frustrate myself further by calling their support lines…
I know you are busy with so many posting so I don’t expect a long answer just your reaction - I have been on the web during my lunch breaks in work trying to see if there is some configuration problem with my machine that I can rectify.
I am unfortunately not very competent with networking and configuration to call it and say it is my computer or the provider, Have reinstalled SP2 on XP machine and tried ipconfig/release /renew - can’t pickup a new address -
I suppose there is no easy way to diagnose a compromised system, have noticed that Macfee is not working so that worries me.
I know its said that you get what you pay for and the ripwave is only 18.95 a month - but its essential that we have a good connection so I will go with a more expensive package if necessary - we have no phone line in the appartment so that’s why we tried Irish Broadband ripwave….
Would appreciate any advice on this.
Thanks a lot,
like the site!
Rich.
April 10th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
when are they going to have 3 in 1 ie tv phone and broadband for 1 flat rate?-eircom rip me off with their flat rate on phone bills (I barely use the phone)I want to spread it over broad band and tv- I believe you can get it in other countries
April 10th, 2006 at 8:45 pm
Damien did list most of the providers, but don’t get to excited. Wait until you try to get signed up for broadband especially if you live out in the countryside. I have wireless Broadband myself and work in IT. I have also set-up quite a lot and the download & upload speeds that are stated by the companies never come close to what you really get. Truth is broadband is crap in Ireland, People from USA/ Canada/ Europe can’t believe the lack of roll out.
The next list Damien should compose is that of satisfaction with broadband availability in this country. Satellite Broadband in many schools now is a joke with most schools enjoying dial up speeds. Wireless Broadband is unpredictable and is down just when you need it.
Anyone who works with broadband in this country especially in rural areas need to make their voice heard.
We really are way behind when it comes to broadband.
Its easy to compose a list but hard to get broadband in ALL parts of the country.
April 11th, 2006 at 1:21 pm
Yep, in Belgium Belecom offer TV, Phone and Broadband on 1 line, Have heard 4 in 1 is on the way too ( Digital TV I think.. ) - but that may be because their government didn’t sell off their telecoms infracture to another country … I wonder why? Perhaps cause they have some forward thinking people in government … Your man from ‘The Last word’ is still waiting to get Noel Dempsey T.D back on the show to explain what is going on … woouldn’t fancy his job right now …
April 11th, 2006 at 11:35 pm
Just about to take the Broadband plunge - finally. It appears as though Eircom have been doing major work on their network in the past two months with dozens of Exchanges being enabled, probably due to the bad press over the last month or two, although this type of work doesn’t just happen (see news on http://www.eircom.ie) and has probably been planned for months.
I am connected to the Dublin Ballyroan (Rathfarnham Area) exchange and I believe Eircom upgraded it in the last week or so to upgrade the distance threshold from 4.5km to about 5.5km. My line now passes as do many of my neighbours who had also failed previously. I have no idea as to whether other exchanges will follow suit or maybe they have been completed already.
With this whole new traunch of possible customers, maybe prices might fall - we live in hope.
Cormac
April 13th, 2006 at 5:05 pm
I have been on Eircom Broadband (2MB) for over a year - excellent, loving the speed and convenience of wifi but getting a bit bitter about the whole line-rental! Seriously considering switching to NTL (hell I’m using them for TV!) - Anyone any problems with NTL??
April 14th, 2006 at 11:01 am
A really useful resource Damien. Well done and Thanks. Just for other people’s info, I’m on the Rathmines exchange, and despite having a verification form from Smart dated March 2005 I’m still being told that they can’t give me a connection. Further investigation revealed that they don’t even have a POP in Rathmines, yet they’re still promising connection 2006. Yeah, right! Their offering looks great, but talk is cheap.
April 20th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
Does anyone have any good advice on which wireless router to buy and which routers are compatible with different suppliers? I’m getting Magnet broadband any day now (so they tell me!) and want the best wireless router I can to go with it. The Magnet sales team told me to speak with Technical services who would give me advice - they told me i got one in the package. I then rang sales again who told me I definately don’t get a wireless router delivered in the package. I’ve been in broadband limbo for the last 6 weeks now waiting for someone to connect me so when I do I can’t be arsed to find the new wireless router I’m about to buy doesn’t get along with Magnet!
Please help - very stressed about this broadband business!
Addam
April 28th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
Hi,
Magnet tell me that my exchange (Sutton) is enabled but that my line quality is poor and is only suitable for isdn (never had it). Smart on the contrary tell me that my exchange is not enabled but that my line quality is fine and suitable for broadband. I think I am missing something……help
May 5th, 2006 at 12:11 am
[…] I’ve added a map and a few more bits of advice to the broadband choices in Ireland post. It’s one of the most visited pages on this site. I’ve written one or two pieces for print media which had their foundations on the broadband choices post and once they’re published I’ll edit the post to add more advice and more details. Technorati Tags: blogs broadband coverage ireland irelandoffline irish irishblogs […]
May 6th, 2006 at 11:05 am
Super stuff. For a complete non techie like me this is really helpful.
Do you have any info on Cinergi ?
May 11th, 2006 at 12:13 am
Thanks,very helpful,unfortunately although I’m very close to a bb enabled exchange my line is unsuitable and we’ve no line of sight for the wireless thingy.I worked for AOL (*cringe-I know,I know) a few years back.I remember in the UK people were able to petition BT to enable their local exchanges,basically they had to get a “magic” number of names and BT would get on the case,ever heard of Eircom doing this?
May 11th, 2006 at 12:22 am
Why is it unsuitable? What reason was given? If it is because you are on a carrier then it seems eircom may remove it for you. The trigger programme you mention was carried out by eircom previously and was total bullshit. They’ve since scrapped it. They do not appear to be upgrading any more exchanges anymore.
Where are you located?
May 11th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
No broadband in rural MAYO. I am on the sligo, roscommon border.. and there is little chance of ADSL.. As im too far from a main town.. 3.5 miles.. i do not have line of sight for WIRELESS.. so my only option is SATELLITE.. but the set up costs are near on 1500 Euros.
I think its a disgrace that Ireland is a very prosperous country nowadays.. but the digital services are a DISGRACE.. even in the main cities they are hardly the speed of UK or European service providers…
Can we have some company, ie US, UK, European.. coming into Rural Ireland and give us the service we crave!!
May 12th, 2006 at 11:23 am
Hi guys,
Stay well clear of Irish Broadband, they are useless in every category that the word applies to here. Cowboys of the WLAN world! words cannot express how much I hate them and Cork City is united on how bad they are! Regtel are doing nothing about it! At this stage they should lose their licence in my opinion!
May 16th, 2006 at 7:57 pm
Hi all,
if anyone wants to find out about Smart Telecom Broadband in Limerick please e-mail limerick@smarttelecom.ie and we will get you sorted,
Rgds,
Mike
May 18th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Excellent information Damian !!!!
Is there any coverage in Enfield, Co. Meath
Thanks in advance !
May 18th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
Anyone know when NTL Will enable south circular road(dublin8) for broadband?
May 20th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
i only use the internet at weekends when i come home but i have no idea what is the best package. the house has an eircom phone line and i just need a recomendation. week end usage only but i want fast!! can you help?
May 22nd, 2006 at 2:12 pm
I subscribed to Irishbroadband, living out in Citywest- They installed an Antenna on the roof, straight thru cable from the roof into the house- into a wee black box and then ethernet cable. I get 1MB for 35 a month- nothing like 1MB, the service was okay at the start, now it’s shit to say the least, New housing estates are popping up all over the kip so there’s probably a lot more subscribers and the whole ratio thing starts happening, I’d go for a wired solution as far as the house and then go wireless, so unbundeling the phone line sounds like a plan- they got me with the ole 12 month contract though. Also avoid NTL’s service like your life depends on it
May 22nd, 2006 at 3:35 pm
Rob why avoid NTL? I was about to subscribe…..
May 23rd, 2006 at 6:33 pm
I have the Irish Broadband 1MB option and I have to say it’s fairly rubbish for the money. Can anyone suggest a better service - I went with this because you didn’t need a phoneline. Also, can you get out of the Irish Broadband 12 month contract easy? Thanks in adavance
May 30th, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Excellent compilation !
The reference to BT “Notorious for having a shitty billing service.” is an important warning message to anyone selecting a service provider.
Most companies have a billing or accounting department. BT has a big dark cloud for billing, account receivables, customer support and complaints service.
The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) did a great job mediating 18 months of billing disputes.
I signed up the 3 months free trial, plus 1 free for subscribing the service. Flat rate for dial-up was billed during the “free trial”. Worse, broadband was charged as well.
I moved to another provider after the dispute. The notes found here were very helpful.
Thanks Damien and everyone who noted the pros and cons of respective ISP!
June 9th, 2006 at 8:13 am
Hi Damien
Fantastic blog and great info.
Back in Ireland after sometime in OZ where local dial-up is about 56Kbps! Here in sunny Youghal, Co.Cork dial -up is as low as 7.2 Kbps and never greater than 16.8Kbps!!! unreal……. Good job we have a beach….
Any info on Chorus? They may be like NTL whit the TV thingy??
Keep up the blog and THANK YOU for the plain English.
June 10th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Hi Damien
Came across your site while going through a google search list. Very imformative.
I’ve was looking at going to BT but was concerned about the no bill policy, glad i didnt now.
Smart isnt available where I am, but I was looking at Perlico. Do you have any information on them?
I had a quick look at their site, but couldnt work out if you have to take their home phone package as well, and whether you have to change your number?
Hope you can help
June 14th, 2006 at 6:33 pm
Hi Damien,
I’m a student and i’ll stay in Ireland for few months, can you tell me the best short time company?
Many thanks
June 21st, 2006 at 11:34 am
Very informative article, I was using it as a source while talking to my brother on the phone advising him on the different broadband services. I still hear a lot of complaints about IBB around forums, I’m surprised that they’re still allowed to advertise. Like someone mentioned they should get their license taken away for such pitifull service. Friend of mine had trouble cancelling his monthly payments to IBB because he could never get through to customer service. They eventually did take if off him though a day after they realised that his credit card was cancelled and he hadn’t paid for the last month. Typical.
Hate to sound like a walking advertisement ( well I had my share of viral marketing ) but I’m satisfied with Smart, I think you get a pretty good deal from them.
July 4th, 2006 at 8:38 pm
[…] The Broadband Choices/Prices in Ireland post has been updated and new prices and products added. When a little more information is available about the new Vodafone 3G package comes out, I’ll update the pricing/products/choices post. Technorati Tags: blogs broadband ireland irelandoffline irish irishblogs […]
July 5th, 2006 at 11:32 am
Hi Damien,
Premier broadband http://www.premierbroadband.net is a Tipperary Company that offers wireless broadband across Tipperary. At the moment customers are being offerred 1 mb up and down for 35 incl VAT or 30 if they applied under the community broadband scheme. Installation is 200 euro. Since they went live with their network a few months ago the service is reliable. The CPE’s are owned by Premier and they replace them if they cause problems. They do not allow peer to peer file sharing apps to be used.
Coverage areas are listed on this page http://www.premierbroadband.net/coverage.html
Regards
Liam
July 10th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
Hi, Damien,
Great list. I am torn between NTL and Eircom for 1st braodband connection at home. Low usage. Most other companies wont do it because I have an eircom phonewatch alarm.
Any suggestions.
July 13th, 2006 at 9:03 am
Perfect. I’m only here for 6 months and they wont give me contract broadband without a bank account over here. THe bank wont open an account without a utility bill. Looks like Ripwave is the answer. Fantastic information, thank you.
July 13th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Thanks for the list. A question. I want to sign for broadband with imagine, but have a monitored alarm from eircom. Imagine say I need a separate phoneline for the broadband, Eircom say they can install a gadget that splits the line that will allow the braodband and alarm to operate off the same line. If this is the case, will the rate at which the broadband operates be compromised?
July 18th, 2006 at 11:18 am
Hi All has anyone any experience with Digiweb Metro Wireless BB? I’m thinking of signing up. Torn between that and BT Ireland DSL. Any views?
July 20th, 2006 at 11:10 pm
Perlico is not on your list, is there a reason for this? Only option in my area is Eircom but Perlico says they can provide. Any advice would be most helpful.
Anne
July 22nd, 2006 at 2:44 pm
clodagh , i just had a visit from smart telecom 45.99 per month including line rental, all calls day and night, 3mb broadband and router (140 euro for a wireless one) eircom will install a splitter in the phonewatch system for 80 euro
July 25th, 2006 at 10:44 pm
Hi,
my 2cs worth. I’m with UTV and when the service works it’s great but have just finished my years contract and when I asked what I need to do to switch to the lower prices that they’re charging new customers I was told tough ! Those prices are for new custom only and the operators on the billing helplines do not have the authority to change that. I asked if there was anything they could do for me before I cancelled my account and was promised that my case would be escalated and someone would respond by email - surprise, no email after 5 days.
Considering the prices they advertise are half what I’m paying this is ridiculous customer service.
cheers,
Paul
July 25th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
JESUS, tHERE’S NOTHING IN THIS GREAT LIST FOR THE POOR OLD CULCHIES LEAVING IN THE OUTBACK! A FRIEND FROM AUSTRALIA ADVISES THAT EVEN IN THE MOST REMOTE AREAS BROADBAND CAN BE GOT!! hAVE YOU ANY OPTIONS FOR THE 30% YOU SAY CANNOT GET BROADBAND. LOOKING AT THE MAP I WOULD RECKON ITS MORE LIKE 60%+. wHAT ABOUT SATALITE CAN THIS NOT BE INCL IN YOUR LIST?
July 26th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Hi
I just moved to Athlone from Sweden and I’m still not sure how the whole Broadband thing works in Ireland. In Sweden most houses have an outlet for internet which is open to all providers. All you need to do is to pick a provider and they will put you online in a couple of days. So I want to ask a couple questions (they might sound stupid!) about the broadband services here. My house doesn’t have any fixed telephone line. So if I want to go for say Smarttelecom’s offer, do I need to get an eircom connection or can I signup for Smarttelecom’s bundle offer which includes their fixed telephone line? And how about Irish Broadband’s service in Athlone? Can someone shed some light on that?
July 31st, 2006 at 8:51 am
i see that BT Ireland have started advertising heavily a 45 euro service for 1mb broadband, line rental and free local/national/UK landline calls. i wonder will eircom bite back? and is the BT service good? i’m tempted….
July 31st, 2006 at 10:27 am
Fact Checker: BT have terrible billing problems but once you are signed up the product itself is very good technically. Just make sure to check your online bills all the time and that they have started billing you. Lots of peopel aren’t billed for a year and then get a massive bill.
Emon: Yes, you have to get eircom to install the line and sign up with them, then you have to switch to Smart. See comments above about Irish Broadband.
David Cassidy: Satellite is not broadband. It is inferior and costs over a grand to install and from €99 to €300 a month for a two-way service.
Anne: Perlico and others are not on the list. No guarantees that every company is covered. I’ll add them during the next update.
July 31st, 2006 at 6:41 pm
thanks for your help damien, much appreciated. seeing all the services lined up like this is excellent and makes comparisons easier. while the procrastinator in me says stay with eircom, it may be time for a change!
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:47 pm
Cheers Damien, great list you’ve made up and it gets to the point quick and fast. Just one query though, i’m looking into getting that 6mb down/512kb up deal from Chorus. You stated that the contention ratio is 17:1, am i seeing things? That’s great news if it is as the idea that only a max no of 17 peeps may be using it at any one time (which is unlikely) sounds like a real winner. I’m only really going for it for online gaming and that sounds like the most affordable at 40 euro a month. So do you think it’s a wise choice??, anyone care to comment on it please do as any feedback would be greatly appreciated - Cheers again!
August 8th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
Can anyone comment on the Last Mile service in midlands? I’m tired of waiting for Eircom to enable the exchange so am thinking of signing with Last Mile in Laois.
August 8th, 2006 at 4:12 pm
I think you might need to update your costs re BT bundles. Latest literature from BT ireland offers 1MB+Line rebtal+ unlimited anytime all-Ireland calls for €35; 2MB+Line+unlimiter anytime all-ireland/Britain calls fo €45 etc.
August 9th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
I want some type of faster dialup and download.
I live in West Cork on Sheepshead Peninsula.
What are my chances?
August 13th, 2006 at 10:05 pm
Hi Damien,
Nice list.
One question though, you mention that to unbundle your line you need to change your number. I thought unbundling meant paying your line rental to some company other than Eircom in which case you don’t have to change your number. I switched to BT and kept my numbers.
Thanks
August 13th, 2006 at 10:18 pm
Unbundling is having your line physically moved in the exchange and plugged into the equipment of another provider.
In your case you have wholesale line rental and calls with BT. Quite different.
The whole thing with unbundling was eircom said the only identifier for a line was its phone number and so they had to keep it in their system even if you got an unbundled service and if you tried to use your old number there’d be a conflict so you had to be given a new number. ComReg believed this!
Number portability is going to become a reality by end of this month from what I hear. Well done ComReg, only 6 years later.
August 17th, 2006 at 11:55 am
With regards to BT billing system - disaster. I was minding my parents house while they were abroad, and they received a stinker of a letter in from some debt collection crowd in the UK. They had subscribed to BT and had subsequently cancelled the subscription. Lucklily they had everything in writing including all invoices etc etc. I called BT, they (eventually) accepted that there was no money due to them, then they advised me to call the debt collection crowd, who advised me to call BT, who advised me to call the debt collection crowd…are you getting the picture?? Eventually after another 10 - 15 phone calls various threats, pleads and rage, got it sorted. Of course not a word of apology from the incompetent eejits, and when I tried to get something in writing acknowledging that there was no money due to them - no chance!
Anyways, signing up for NTL Max this week for a new apt in S. Dublin, have been assured that it will not be a problem and that a technician will be around late next week - so far have been impressed with them, if they deliver on their promises I will be signing there praises here next week!
Thanks for putting the list together Damien
August 19th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
I have just ordered irish broadband. i cant get broadband any other way and i’m paying eircom a fortune for flat rate 30euro a month and also my son won’t get off and keeps using extra hours which cost me even more. also we are paying line rental when there are 5 mobile phones in the house !!!! even though im slighly worried about the bad press for ibb speeds it still seems worth it for what im paying now for the internet. WISH ME LUCK!!!
August 23rd, 2006 at 7:24 pm
Damien well done for opening discussion on the broadband issue, however this has led to confusion (mine) following all the posts I’m now well confused. I’m an eircom customer for phone however I use utv internet on dial up at the moment, and mainly use the internet for research, however I find the speed a problem with so many sites incorporating graphics. I’m in Dublin area and from your list Smart seem like a good bet what do you and your “viewers” think ? (paticularly since they have been round the area looking for business, I missed them)
August 28th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Why do alarm systems conflict with broadband? I saw something about a splitter to overcpme this conflict, in an earlier post, but who installs this? What does it actually do? Is it something I can do myself? I would like to go for the BT €45 offer, but I’m not sure I can with this potential conflict. BT say that if I ask my alarm company they may be able to do it for me, but they are quoting €150!
I’m currently with UTV and the customer service via email is diabolical.
August 31st, 2006 at 10:53 am
Great summary and extremely usefull. Just one thing, how much frre webspace comes with these bundles if any? Or this question irrelevant?
September 10th, 2006 at 11:17 pm
For those put off BT because of the billing situation, I think for an extra 2 euro or so they will provide a written bill. I had dial-up(anytime) with them and never had a billing issue. Anyway after years of waiting my line finally passed(well on amber) the BB test. Going to go with Eircoms Home Starter first as its only a 6 mth contract, you get all the equipt free, free connection and 1 months sub free if you order online. Even though they are dearer than BT with that deal(free stuff) its a good starter offer and after 6 months I can move if I want. Great work Damien.
September 11th, 2006 at 4:38 pm
http://www.teles-skydsl.com
That is a link to a german satellite provider which gives one-way satellite broadband throughout europe. If you are like me, out in the middle of the countryside, several miles from the nearest exchange with ancient phonelines which are barely capable of giving you telephone access, satellite broadband is the only option available.
As is previously stated, satellite broadband is the most expensive BB available. I think this german provider is fairly cheap with tariffs ranging from 10 euro up to 50 euro.
I chose a tariff which gives me 4MB download (it gets no-where near that but is well over 2MB nonetheless) speeds and a monthly download allowance of 2000MB with a further 2000MB for file downloading for a monthly price of 50 euro. The hardware which includes a satellite dish and a receiver cost me about 100 euro. If u have a satellite dish u can use it and fore-go the expense of getting one from them. U should note however that an 80cm dish is recommended if not needed for ireland as we are on the rim of europe.
The site explains how it works. Briefly, you need a phoneline and a fairly clear view of the south sky. You have to install it yourself. I had alot of trouble installing it because it is fairly hard to fine the satellites. However the task was made 100 times easier when i bought one of those cheap satellite finders from lidl or aldi, i’m sure argos probably has them aswell.
Anyway, i am fairly happy with the setup. I am paying through the nose for half a satellite service, meaning i have broadband download speeds but my upload is still dependent on your dial-up connection (thats how the phoneline fits into the system).
One final thing, my phoneline is so bad that i can only gets speeds of 12-14kbps. As a result i got myself a Vodafone connect card which gives me a speed of 57Kbps (thats what it reports to me anyway). Using a connect card is pretty costly as in my case you have pay per MB of traffic. That means u pay so much for each MB you download/upload.
The beauty of the satellite BB is that I only use the connect card for uploading and because the amount you upload is a fraction of what you download, the connect card is costing me very little.
Overall, i think it is costing me about 60-70 euro per month, i put about €20 credit into the connect card.
Yes it is expensive compared to the regular BB but it is the only option to me at the moment and almost certainly for the foreseeable future. I think it will be a cold day in hell before Eircom delivers broadband through the phonelines to much of rural Ireland.
Thats my 2 cents………
September 11th, 2006 at 11:03 pm
Sean, that sounds fine for all the ppl who cannot get BB from Eircom\BT ect. However one thing I could not determine from their site is this: as you need to use your phone line and dial-up connection are you also being charged a dial-up charge by Eircom\BT or whatever Irish ISP you are using while using this service.
September 11th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
Yes and if you have a flatrate package you’ll use it up soon enough and if your line is really shit it means upload is so bad it interferes with download. If you’re not on flatrate you’re even more screwed. Don’t forget the cost of line rental when pricing dialup.
September 12th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
Yeah i agree with pretty much everything damien says there. A flat rate is a must for this type of system. I don’t fully agree with Damien when he says you will use up your flatrate allowance quickly. I don’t see how, when u are only using the dial-up for uploading which like i said is a fraction of the volume you usually download. Of course this varies from person to person.
Damien you seem to have a dislike for satellite broadband. I’m not saying it’s on par with the other options available, i think it is very inferior to DSL broadband (over the phonelines), but the fact is for a huge number of ppl, it’s the only option available.
Teles-skydsl is by far the cheapest provider of satellite broadband i have seen.
>No installation fee (cos you do it yourself) whereas other providers charge ridiculous sums of money to install it.
>hardware costs are very small compared to other providers
>but the biggest advantage of using these guys is their monthly fees, what other satellite provider gives u speeds up to 4mb for 50euro? 24mb if u can use the pci card they have.
Don’t take my word for it, check out their website. I just wanted to show people that satellite broadband doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
September 12th, 2006 at 8:02 pm
Satellite broadband is an oxymoron. It is broadband for boats and for deserts. Even oil rigs use microwave technology for broadband. My big issue is that people are not informed about the limits of this technology.
BTW Sean you are legally entitled to 28kbps on that phoneline. Talk to ComReg to force eircom to fix it, if you want.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Again i can’t disagree with you there either. Satellite broadband is only one-way broadband, u only get the speed increase when you download and even then it is limited because of the slow upload speed. You need to upload even when u are downloading, small though it may be.
I’m am delighted about your comment on Eircoms obligations. It would be great if i could get them to fix it. Do you have any proof of that though? I have looked for info on their legal obligations but from what i can tell from forums, they don’t have any regarding the internet.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg0629.pdf
Talk to ComReg about it. 1890 229 668 or consumerline@comreg.ie
September 15th, 2006 at 1:21 am
i have a mega prob i cant seem to be able to get broadband any where i like in carnerhone just off beafort kerry abd i am really stuck can u help me plz
September 18th, 2006 at 1:00 pm
Anyone know if NTL have a customer sales department, been waiting over a week now for a call.
September 20th, 2006 at 2:53 am
1. Smart Telecom, 3300 Lake Drive, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24 Tel:**** 01 4699300 *****
2. Your phone number ****014699300**** is serviced by the CITYWEST exchange.
This exchange is NOT on the Smart Broadband Network Build Programme.
Please check back again at a later date
3. HA HA HA
September 28th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Well done and thank you for spelling out to the idiot like myself exactly what is and is not available.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
So the only internet provider without a download cap is Smart Telecom and they aren’t available in Clare Co. where I’m relocating….So what can I do 40 GB or less is too little, here in Italy where I’ve been living i used to download at least 15GB a day for a small fee of 19€ a month!!!!!
I guess I’ll have to change my habits
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:28 pm
Well Alan you are welcome - I suppose you cant see the irony in a broadband provider not being able to provide broadband to its own exchange?
And with 47,000 end users not being able to make calls since friday last?
October 6th, 2006 at 9:15 am
Hey can anyone help me, I moved house last week and had a digital tv/ broadband package with NTL which was, for the most part, great. BUT! I called tham today to change the address and they said my new address is on MMDS service (whatver that is)and so I can have tv but not broadband. Basically is there anyone who does a digital tv and broadband package that is fairly reasonably priced in the Galway area?
October 17th, 2006 at 5:39 pm
can any one ,give me an update on the situation on smart telecom
is it true that i will lose my phone line , but keep my broadband.?
do i have to do something or dose this all happen automaticallly.
October 17th, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Looked around for satellite broadband and local internet cafe pointed me in direction of http://www.europeonline.com. Great value satellite access for rural dwellers, 249euro for 12 months including install etc, 512 download up to 2mb upload. Only hitch is it’s only compatible with pc and windows. I’m an apple user so I’ve lost out. Heard good reports about it so hopefully this might allow someone to rise out of the rural broadband abyss. I’m not out of there yet!!
October 22nd, 2006 at 5:58 pm
Hi! I live in the west of ireland and have just received hardware for teles skydsl - dish and usb box.
Does anyone know which satellite I am supposed to be looking for?
I have also had problems loading the software - keep getting error message re missing driver. Anyone else had this problem?
Many sympathies with Sean from Carlow - I live in the sticks as well - I do slightly better at 14.4 to 16.8 - I have Onspeed installed which really makes a difference to general surfing, but doesn’t work with secure connections!
BTW will onspeed work with skydsl - and could it be causing the software problems?
I’ve had the dish on the roof for nearly a week now without any success - any help would be greatly appreciated as frustration is beginning to take it’s toll!!
October 23rd, 2006 at 8:22 pm
In sweden you can get 100MB/10MB no limit, no contention, 32euro a month fiber optic internet connection. This is available in virtually all populated areas:
http://bredbandsbolaget.se/wps/portal/produkt/bredbandviabredbandsuttaget/bredband100
you don’t need to speak swedish to read those figures!
When this comes to Ireland I will eat this shitty Irishbroadbent arial!!!!!
variant
October 25th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
hi folks
Living in Ratoath co meath
Just wondering what the best broadband package would be for me.
I have an eircom phone line in but hoping to get a package to cover line rental and broadband and that i can make a small numbe rof calls on.
if anybody has an idea on overall cost including vat i would be grateful( fairly reliable service only, wth 1mb +)
thanks
walter
October 25th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
Very grateful for the information on the site. Currently have eircom broadband, but due to price and ntl now becoming available in the area i have an appointment for installation of ntl this weekend. Since making appointment, eircom prices have come down. Now having second thoughts.
Is there anyone who has had recent experience of both who can give me advice on the comparison of the two in terms of speed, reliability etc.
Any information before friday would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jamie
October 25th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Damien
Many thanks, a real service to humankind, well to that part of humankind who are looking to upgrade their broadband.
I take your point on the hidden costs of NTL but assuming that you already get your TV from them, and therefore the extra costs are are already sunk, how does their service compare? Does anyoe else have experience of NTL/Chorus especially compared to another provider? Am currently working with IB ripwave which is pretty poor…though it improves to barely tolerable if you move it around the house. The NTL package seems a better value and quality choice than upgrading to the Breeze system….opinions?
Phoneline is not a great option as we have eircom phonewatch and anyone I know who went that route had real trouble. Will feedback the results of my final choice when I make it and experience the results.
November 13th, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Hi Guys, Have local broadband service in Kilmallock. I am allowed 5 Gigs download a month. Is there any software on the market that can measure my monthly usage so I will know when I have used my quota as my service provider does not have anything in place. I
November 14th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
Great list Damien!
November 23rd, 2006 at 2:33 pm
I have IB breeze in Limerick, billing problems at the start but otherwise OK. At the time it was the only option. Now I have lots of choices. The bundles (BT total talk) looks good but reluctant to down grade my upload speed from the current 1M to 128K. I use Skype a lot and send/recieve some large emails (>2M). Any thoughts ?
November 24th, 2006 at 11:22 am
Ok folks. I promised to report back on NTL so here I am. First off I’m very happy with the connection, I’ve wi-fied the house and the connection is great in every room…even my PDA finds a signal in seconds. The service is free for the first few months too.
The guy who came to set it up (free) was qucik, helpful and pleasant. I asked him advice on getting a wireless router and he produced one from his van together with two USB receivers and fitted the router for me….free! a special offer that NTL have for new connections but one that the sales people neglected to tell me about even though I had told them I was going to use a wireless router.
This brings me to the downside, does NTL want our business at all? I spent many, many fruitless hours trying to contact their sales team on their contact ‘hotline’ (ha!) AND I was looking to upgrade my TV service too. Twice I was told by sales staff that my area was not yet wired for internet, despite receiveing numerous mailings telling me it was. Promised brochures were never sent (although one did arrive a few days after installation). I finally got to the botttom of the no sevice mystery, their (foreign?) call centre has a coverage map that is not up to date!!! Once I had argued the point with the sales assistant and she decided to believe me things went smoothly, the installer turned up on the day promised about a week after confirmation of details.
Despite that little set-back I have nothing but praise for the service to date and would recommend it to anyone who is currently receiving their TV from NTL.
November 24th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
We have a requirement for mutliple i.e four IP addresses. Who offeres this service at the most competitive price?
December 14th, 2006 at 5:19 pm
i want to say i’ve been having problems with IBB for last two weeks so i emailed them and they are sending me a new modem which should pick up a better signal
they aint all bad
December 18th, 2006 at 3:42 pm
Hi,
I have been trying to get NTL broadband. I ordered it and after aruging with the sales staff on numerous occasions, I managed to get the 14.95Euro deal for the first 3 months as had been advertised. They called out to install it on the scheduled day but they couldn’t get it working due to an NTL problem. I was told someone would ring me to re-schedule, but I’ve heard nothing. I rang them to find out what was happening but I was put on hold for 45 mins and then bounced from one customer service agent to another and then back onto the que and eventually I was hung up on. I sent them an e-mail asking what was happening. That was a week ago and I still have heard nothing. Their customer and sales service are the worst I have ever experience. I am now thinking of going with Magnet. Are they a good company to go with?
December 19th, 2006 at 11:22 pm
I have my telephone and internet connection with UTV. I am thinking of upgrading to broadband 1MB AND 6GBCAP, (no limit on time) for €9.99 for first 3 months and €16.49 month thereafter. I don’t see any mention to their broadband service on the sites you mention. Can you give me any feed back on their broadband service.
Their billing service and technical support is excellent. I get free phone calls in Ireland and UK evening and weekends.
Having checked through all the site you mention it appears that UTV might be the best one to go for. They always give prompt attention to any questions or queries I have.
They also give me free webspace and support for websites I am designing.
Please let me have your opinion on UTV broadband service.
Thanks in advance
Philip Fields
December 30th, 2006 at 10:45 pm
Info for Wireless Broadband from €25. Option Up to 3MB (Upload/Download) for Belgooly, Ballygarvan or Kilmicheal area contact Daryl Cronin on 0868888648. Will be extending our coverage very shortly.
Setup takes only 30mins or so. Connecting people 7days a week, 12hrs a day to cater for people not available during usual 9-5 hrs.
or maildaryl@vodafone.ie for further details.
Regards,
Daryl Cronin
January 4th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Great page Damien. All the Info I needed. Just wondering if anyone would recommend Imagine for their broadband service?
January 5th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Just saw the post asking for more info on Cinergi Telecom’s broadband packages. Have a look at my website: http://www.makemoremoney.ie/roseannecurtin There is information there on all of the packages. The package I use is the always on package for 15.99 a month which I think I really good value.
January 14th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Can anyone answer this question ,does onspeed conflict with satellite broadband ? The technician who installed the system informed me that most of the call outs he gets are from people who use onspeed and other types of similar programs with the satellite system .I took his word for it and he uninstalled my onspeed .The only problem is when i can’t get anything from the satellite ,the onspeed would be handy .Would it be safe to get my onspeed back and only use it with the dial-up .Has anyone got any experience of this conflict .
January 14th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Damien,
Are you filtering the comments?
E.
January 14th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Any further spamming and electioneering will have you banned on my blog.
January 14th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Anyway, as I said; you might want to revise your comments on Clearwire if the discussions on boards.ie are anything to go by…
E.
January 16th, 2007 at 9:24 am
I’ve been living in Ireland since November and returned to the internet middleages compared to the state that is usual in Germany (http://www.arcor.de/privat/dsl_kp.jsp?wmID=none&affID=97053624&int_cpid=home02). I miss my 16Mbit flatrate for €50. Maybe there will be one next year. It’s really hard to get used to a 30 GB limit again.
January 17th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
I called Irish Broadband Sales to order the Breeze 2mb service. I live in Coolock Village. They tell me that the transmitter for the area has its maximum number of customers on it!
January 19th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
I have just bought laptop, but clueless to wireless broadband, Im living in apartment in D8 with no phone line, Was going with Irish Broadband for 18.95 a month. Anyoune recomend them or no?
January 23rd, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Hi
was wondering what u guys thought about the likes of http://www.betterbroadband.ie and switch4.ie, another is tryswitch.ie. Are these sites any good? are they trustworthy?
Was wondering if anyone here had any experience of them
January 26th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Mobile Broadband?
Nice work Damien, if you get the time perhaps you could comment on the new Vodafone, 3, O2 HSPDA and Irish Broadband ‘Go’ cards for *mobile* broadband…
am thinking of only getting that kind of broadband (as a new development, it’s a bit like only using mobile phones instead of fixed line phones)
- perhaps handy for people who aren’t sure of staying in the same living locations for 12 month contracts?
January 26th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Vodafone wrote to me to try and sell me their broadband product. Whilst I’m attracted by the lack of need for a landline and all that I think that their offer is more expensive and less speedy than what I currently cough up a fortune to Eircom for.
As Eircom’s broadband (currently) works for me…I’m in no mood to change to something more expensive and less speedy for the moment. I may reconsider in six months time when I have to move house.
January 29th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Thanks for all the info, good stuff.
February 9th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
just got this today from Magnet;
“Our Starter package - 2Mb for €15 + line rental €24 - is still available & will be available till the end of February 2007 because from the 1st of March our broadband will be available only for Business Customers.”
February 9th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Niamh,
Had Irish broadband ripwave in Cork and they were absolutely cat. Never worked properly altough I was situated comfortably inside there transmittors range
February 13th, 2007 at 2:40 am
i was to lazy to read all comment but some of u might be interested in one more provider which gives service in northen area: http://www.net1.ie/coveragemap.html
But u might need to wait for installation cause there only few people workin’ on it.
Once u got it it’s allright. I had no problems with them.
so http://www.net1.ie
February 16th, 2007 at 7:07 am
Damian,
Nice work my friend. I really like your blog. It is really informative on broadband and dsl terminology. Perhaps I could talk you into plugging my site at sometime at Texan IT - DFW Website Design | DFW Computer Networking. You do a great job!
Signed,
Texan IT - Computer Networking Guy
February 19th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Hi,
I’m trying to get wireless broadband in Dublin, but I dont want to be tied down to a contract becuase i’ll be moving in a few months. I was thinking of the vodafone wireless modem, anyone have any recomendations or ideas,thanks,great blog!
February 20th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Just after signing up for IrishBroadband’s wireless 2Mb “Breeze”.
Am near Moycullen, Co. Galway.
Has anybody had any recent experiences?
Cheers
February 21st, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Have you heard of a new provider in Cork, amcom they call themselves, are they fly-bys or are they genuine…. They claim no download/upload limits apply..
March 3rd, 2007 at 11:55 am
Any positive or negtive experiences with imagine / imag!ne? Their packages seem attractive at first glance. Are they new to the market?
March 3rd, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Hi. great article. Thanks. Was thinking of going with Digiweb but was wondering what others think of them. Is the wireless service good. They look for year payment in advance and I’m worried about doing that and then getting stuck with a bad service provider. All opinions are welcome.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Hi Damien,
Am planning to get broadband but bambuzzled with all the info. Came across this site on the net. Liked the list but still not able to make a choice.
Am a technophobe so don’t undertsand the jargon but need reliable broadband with landline at home. Am currently with Eircom for my landline but want to investigate what is out there. As I’m usually out at work during the day I was looking at an ‘evening & weekend landine with always on 2MB broadband’ bundle from BT or Eircom. I ring friends in UK so BT looked good value as they include UK calls in their free list but Eircom don’t.
However, reliability is really important as I won’t know what’s wrong if things don’t work! Looks like some of the contributors to this list weren’t very happy with their BB choices and I recall Smart Telecom had some operational problems last year.
Would be delighted with some advice / guidance before I sign my hard earned cash away…..
Thanks,
D
March 8th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
UTV have several Broadband packages, they also have a phone deal with it.
Free evening and week-end calls provided not more than 60 minutes long, you can hang up and call same number and talk for another 60 minutes immediately after.
These free calls can be land-lines in Ireland or UK.
I use this and call England regularly.
March 9th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
i ordderd IRISH BROADBAND 2 months ago & they never delivered, even after i rang them twice, they still took my money from my visa, even after loadsa emails & letter they havent refunded my money….wouldnt remcomend them.
March 12th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Great site Damien. With all this interest in and discussion of download speeds, I have one technophobe question - is it really relevant for a customer who, for example, just uses the web for emailing, chatting, reading newspapers, ebay etc. Would Irish Broadband or Clearwire’s 512 packages be enough for such a customer? Is download speed only really relevant for downloading movies etc - or at peak times, is 512 going to mean that even waiting for the next page of the paper to load is going to be slow?
Thanks a million.
March 19th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
I’ve had Magnet supply my broadband, tv and telephone for the last 5 months. I would strongly advise that nobody use their service. The whole service seems to die for prolonged periods on an almost daily basis. The television freezes whenever I open my front door and then has to be reset. The charges are all quoted excluding VAT, so don’t forget to add on an extra 21% when you’re looking at them. While they claim to have a 24/7 helpline, if you call outside office hours it acts only as an answering service. ”I’m sorry I can’t help with your problem as I have no technical knowledge of the systems, but I’ll get someone to call you back tomorrow/next week”.
They do appear at first to be super value for what they provide, but I have been disappointed over and over again.