press release

release detail

New social housing development provides residents with choice of high speed broadband alternatives

A new social housing development in Belfast is one of the first parts of the UK where residents will be offered a choice of next generation high speed broadband services. This is the result of an initiative by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) who are responsible for telecommunications policy in Northern Ireland.

Following the trial, residents will be offered both high speed copper-based broadband services and fibre to the home. Virgin Media and Bytel, the service providers, are currently offering 20 megabits per second speeds.  As a result of the trial both companies now plan to offer customers even faster connectivity in the future based on this technology being installed.

Northern Ireland was the first region in Europe to have 100% broadband access. DETI is actively exploring what will be needed to deliver widespread access to next generation broadband in its private sector.

Economy Minister for Northern Ireland, Nigel Dodds, agrees that all broadband access is only the first goal in providing a high speed infrastructure in Northern Ireland: “We cannot be complacent. First generation broadband is rapidly being overtaken and the debate in the UK and in other countries is increasingly about higher speed, next generation broadband.  We must look to the future and what has to be done to ensure our businesses and home users continue to have access to world class telecommunications.”

The trial shows that developers and service providers can work together now to install high speed technologies in new residential and commercial builds. Paul Robinson, of DETI’s Telecommunications Policy Unit, said: “These trial high speed residential solutions were both implemented with little technical difficulties or major challenges. The cost of installing high speed equipment is no different to installing first generation broadband.  These high speed service offerings will allow residents to obtain ‘next generation’ broadband services such as video on demand, high speed video and TV streaming, Voice over IP services and even more as new services which are purpose built for high speed IP are rolled out.”

DETI has prepared a case study outlining the high speed residential trials in Belfast.  This is available to download from:  http://tinyurl.com/43w9oo

Notes for Editors
Further Information About the Trial
• The next generation residential broadband trial was initiated by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI), at a total cost of £67k[1] , in order to test technical feasibility, cost and adoption of high speed broadband connectivity in a social housing development. 

• The trial will allow residents in the new housing development to choose between traditional copper circuit ADSL and next generation high speed connectivity based on both copper local loop and fibre to the home (FTTH).

• Two competing high speed broadband technologies have been successfully installed with operating speeds of 20 megabits per second.  The fibre backhaul and copper local loop solution was provided by Virgin Media.  The wireless backhaul and fibre to the home solution was provided by local company Bytel. 

• The Bytel solution is based on Cisco exchange and cabinet equipment and gives connected customers access to full SDSL (uncontended) IP.  Ducted fibre to the homes is media converted in a terminal device with a fly-lead provided to an Ethernet port in residents’ living areas.  Residents can choose to directly connect via a network cable or to attach a wireless router to the Ethernet port.

• The Virgin solution provides residents with high speed ADSL services of 20 megabits per second.  Virgin has also announced that it will be offering service of up to 50 megabits per second to subscribers by the end of 2008.  In common with Virgin Media’s wider offering across the UK, Belfast trial customers will also be offered both cable TV and phone services – including the V+ HD-ready television service.

Further Information About Virgin Media (Company Supplied)
• Virgin Media is an innovative and pioneering UK entertainment and communications business. For the first time consumers can get everything they need from one company - the UK's only quad play of TV, broadband, phone and mobile plus the most advanced TV on demand service available, the UK's first high definition TV service and V+, our high specification personal video recorder. Virgin is the UK's largest residential broadband provider, the largest virtual mobile network operator and the second largest provider of pay TV and home phone.

• Virgin Media owns two content businesses - Virgin Media Television

• (VMTV) and sit-up. VMTV owns seven entertainment channels - Virgin1, Living, Living 2, Bravo, Bravo 2, Challenge, and Trouble - and is a 50% partner in UKTV which consists of nine channels including Dave, UKTV Gold and UKTV History. sit-up runs retail TV channels bid tv, price-drop tv and speed auctiontv.

• Virgin Media is the largest Virgin company in the world and has almost 10 million customers. To find out more visit www.virginmedia.com/presscentre.

Further Information About Bytel (Company Supplied)
• Bytel is a locally owned, Belfast-based Internet and network service provider, established in 2001, providing internet services and network access across Northern Ireland (NI).

• Bytel is the only company in NI with access to US communications giant Verizon's Tier-1 global internet backbone. This link ensures Bytel customers have the fastest, most reliable internet access available, giving them a key advantage over their competitors.

• Bytel’s clients include Microsoft, Citigroup, the Northern Ireland Science Park and US film production company Playtone, which was recently in Belfast for the production of the Tom Hanks' film 'City of Ember'. Along with its sister telecommunication company, Atlas, Bytel is committed to offering the best service possible to its customers, as the network and data services provider of choice for Northern Ireland's business community.

• Bytel draws its greatest strength from its independence, and because of a personal approach to each customer, it treats each individual customer with the care and attention they require.

Media contacts
Rebecca Burke, Virgin Media press office,
T: 0115 9122385
E: rebecca.burke@virginmedia.co.uk

Ian Kay, Network Service Director, Bytel Ltd
T: 028 9045 6111
E: iain.kay@bytel.net.uk

DETI Press Office
T: 028 9052 9297
(Outside office hours, please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager Number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned)

[1] This includes £33k to dig the trenches for ducting of fibre optics.  This cost may be avoided if the developer were to be approached at the design stages of site development.