BROADBAND IN THE STICKS

First glance at the Rural Broadband Scheme using 3 Mobile wasn’t too promising!
I have been monitoring the situation as time passes and a picture is beginning to emerge of an advanced system being introduced which should meet the requirements of an advanced mobile market plus an indigenous rural market, whether it be domestic or business based.
The trend may be seen on http://www.telecompaper.com/

The following extract from Nortel helps to explain the technique being introduced:

“Although 3G technologies deliver significantly higher bit rates than 2G technologies, there is still a great opportunity for wireless service providers to capitalize on the ever-increasing demand for "wireless broadband" and take advantage of the technology innovation that improves the economics of deploying mobile broadband networks. Consequently, there is an expanding revenue opportunity from a growing pool of consumers and business professionals who are demanding the same experience and applications that they enjoy on a fixed wireline connection over wireless -- anywhere, any content, stationary or mobile. The solution is LTE, (3GPP Long Term Evolution), the next-generation network beyond 3G. In addition to enabling fixed to mobile migrations of Internet applications such as Voice over IP (VoIP), video streaming, music downloading, mobile TV and many others, LTE networks will also provide the capacity to support an explosion in demand for connectivity from a new generation of consumer devices tailored to those new mobile applications.”

Current State of Play

Two Interesting Developments are making news at the moment!

1. A revised Home Computer Initiative has hit the streets.
It takes the form of a mobile unit equipped with a variety of computing equipment, of sufficient range that the average domestic consumer could happily choose from.
Full details are given here of the locations where the HCI Computer Gym hits the road, visiting credit unions around the country.
Visit here to see details of the individual packages. At first glance the prices shown may appear to be on the expensive side but consideration should be given to the associated package of supports, obviously designed to encourage the first time user.

2. National Broadband Scheme
Sometimes referred to as the Rural Broadband Scheme, it is designed to provide broadband services to certain target areas in Ireland in which broadband services are not available and are unlikely to be available in the foreseeable future.
Check here for an update on the current status, which currently states that that a preferred bidder will be selected and appointed in mid 2008.

Not Much Happening!

The main thrust of this blog is in two directions;
One is to promote widespread availability of internet access, particularly to seniors, while the other is to provide suitable training in its use.
What seems to be happening out there is that an unstated recognition exists that, in the same time span that a government initiative would cover, when one considers the usual series of feasibility studies and pilot projects, natural progression is taking over and will achieve the results at zero costs to the exchequer. By this I mean the current IT aware generation will form the elders in that time span.

15 Where to Now?

Anyone who has read through the foregoing must begin to wonder where I am going from this point onwards!
Quite frankly, I don’t know! All I can say at this stage of the game is that I have begun a sequence of probing and searching through government departments and possibly making a general nuisance of myself.
It could be interesting!
Back later!

14 More about Home Computer Initiative (H.C.I)

A comment from my old stamping ground Cork asks is the site even live, adding that the ‘latest news’ date is a year old. I have actually seen more recent references, notably an ENN news item:
“New scheme to boost home PC use
24-04-2007 by Maxim Kelly
The Irish Government has given the go-ahead to an IT industry project to improve Ireland's PC penetration. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Information Society Minister Tom Kitt launched the Home Computing Initiative on Monday.”
See also a reference recently in Clare Lifelong Learning
under upcoming Events.
As a site HCI comes over as a political/corporate PR exercise, so constructed as to discourage active involvement. As of now it is somewhat unwieldy and is unlikely to attract many participants.

13 WHAT HAPPENED TO ‘KEEP IT SIMPLE’?

Needless to say, as a logical sequence to all of the foregoing posts in this blog I am continually searching for all relevant developments.

So! How about H.C.I!

Interesting logo! Opens up into a very complex document! Not sure where it’s leading to except that I get a distinct impression I’m being led around the garden path. I hear what could be instructions from above “if they ask about broadband or anything like that just give 2 teaspoons of HCI at regular intervals until you see the glazed look in their eyes”.
What are the ingredients of HCI, you say?
Hard to define! Essentially, it is a mix of principles, guidelines, objectives and numerous other sub-clauses and caveats blended together so skilfully as to leave the reader completely baffled.
Right now I think that we should give it to the Seanad!
Somehow appropriate!

12 Come On Seniors Get Involved Here!

I've been ranting on about getting Seniors into action on internet activity.
Now comes a golden opportunity; take a look at a busy professional and an initiative to get a group of seniors going on building their own blogs.
This could well be the start of a realisation across the board.
See http://brightspark-consulting.com/blog/?p=379