A national mobile phone and broadband taskforce is to be set-up, the Minister for Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Denis Naughten has announced.

The taskforce, which will be established as part of the National Broadband Plan, will consider “immediate measures to alleviate broadband and mobile phone service deficits” that are frustrating communities and businesses across rural Ireland.

Naughten described the National Broadband Plan as being the “most significant investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification,” and emphasised the Government’s commitment to revitalising rural Ireland through the Plan.

The Minister said that delivering the Plan is a top priority for this Government.

“The network will be expected to serve at least 30% of the premises in Ireland who cannot currently get access to high speed services.

“It will have to traverse approximately 100,000km of road network, or 96% of the land area of Ireland, to get to every home, every business and every school,” said Naughten.

Farming, education, business, health, tourism, communities and government should all benefit from better connectivity.”

Naughten said that while most cities and larger towns have access to high speed services there are still 1,500 primary schools, and over 750,000 premises, mainly in rural Ireland, who still cannot get access to high speed broadband services.

The Minister said the Plan’s procurement process is well underway and he expects interested companies to be shortlisted as bidders in the next month.

“I intend to have a contract or contracts signed by June 2017,” said Naughten.

Weight Of Two Departments

Naughten noted that under the new Programme for a Partnership Government, the weight of two Departments is being brought to bear on the Plan.

Under new arrangements, the Department of Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources will continue with the procurement for a high speed telecoms network, and will develop proposals for an entity to manage all of the State’s Broadband contracts.

Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts & the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys, will be responsible for ensuring that roll-out can be delivered quickly once contracts are in place.

Aside from the aforementioned national mobile phone and broadband taskforce, Naughten said the experience and resources of the new Department of Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht will be brought to bear on the Plan.

According to Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Humphreys will lead on the establishment of county or regional broadband taskforces and work with local authorities, Local Enterprise Offices, LEADER Groups and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland.

The taskforces will develop rural digital strategies to:

  1. ensure that planning permissions and road openings can be processed quickly
  2. identify priority areas for the roll-out of infrastructure
  3. develop regional digital hubs

Last month it emerged that the National Broadband Plan may not be completed until 2022, two years later than promised.

Under the National Broadband Plan (NBP), the Government committed to delivering high-speed broadband access to every home, school and business in the country by 2020, regardless of where they are located.