Digital infrastructure: Ireland's next Ardnacrusha opportunity

[Galmor]

Interesting article from Irish independent journalist John Kennedy, reporting on the potential for Ireland to develop a digital infrastructure and network to support both urban and rural homes and businesses in future years.

SOME may ask why do we need to invest in digital infrastructure and why are we in a hurry? Simply put, it's about job creation.

It has already been proven that in the 27 towns around Ireland where the Government-backed Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) have been built there has been an influx of investment and jobs.

Over a four-year period, the 27 towns saw their share of foreign direct investment (FDI) grow from 24pc to 90pc.

Currently, 32,000 private sectors jobs rely directly on the MANs for communications; 88,000 third-level students are relying on MAN services; 15,000 public servants rely on the MANs for their communications; 40,000 homes and businesses use the MANs indirectly; and there are 400,000 mobile users relying on the MANs every day.

This is a dramatic technological advance that was developed here in Ireland, in Irish universities and with the support of the Tyndall National Institute. It is a world-changing technology that could be disruptive. We decided to support this company and use its technology where we have a State-owned fibre network and make Ireland the best-connected country in the world."

As a measure of the quality of the work being done at the Cork-based Tyndall National Institute, Minister of State for the Information Society, Conor Lenihan TD, explains that an entire class of students from the institute have been recruited by Nokia.

Fine Gael spokesperson for communications, Simon Coveney TD, says that tying together State assets is a no-brainer and needs to be pursued vigorously.

"We need this infrastructure if we're going to have a business future. We need to set a target for where we want Ireland to be.

"If Ireland wants to be taken seriously as a hub for research, development, innovation and software and have a highly skilled workforce, we must provide significant bandwidth that makes Ireland more attractive for investment," Coveney concludes.

Digital infrastructure: Ireland's next Ardnacrusha opportunity - Technology, Business - Independent.ie

[fiannafailure]

Combined with the Spirit of Ireland energy project producing a stable energy price, they might pay the NAMA bills a bit quicker and at less cost to the taxpayer

[CookieMonster]

We need people with vision to run in the next general election. Out the seat warmers and allow new faces, new voices and new ideas.

We're in a very big hole and it's quite clear that neither the government nor the opposition have neither the vision, the ability nor the will to get us out of it.

[CookieMonster]

See here;

http://www.ninjacloak.com/index.php/...c8bd5e0ab18296

Ninjacloak? What have you got to hide, Geoff?

[myksav]

That's nice, just twenty years behind the rest of the developed world. As usual.

Will it actually take off or will it be just another "broadband roll-out"? Anyone remember that?

[CookieMonster]

That's nice, just twenty years behind the rest of the developed world. As usual.

Will it actually take off or will it be just another "broadband roll-out"? Anyone remember that?

We're still waiting for that one, what? Shocking little country we have here.

[mmrebel]

As someone who works in the digital communication industry i can honestly say we are not even buying the right technology for this so called digital revolution.

[CookieMonster]

As someone who works in the digital communication industry i can honestly say we are not even buying the right technology for this so called digital revolution.

Why would anybody expect that we are? We need only look at how the state handles technology (evoting, ppars etc) ...

[mmrebel]

Why would anybody expect that we are? We need only look at how the state handles technology (evoting, ppars etc) ...

True very true thats the software side of things the hardware/networking side of things is in a worse situation than that.

[Galmor]

As someone who works in the digital communication industry i can honestly say we are not even buying the right technology for this so called digital revolution.

Has recovery been slow since 2000?