Earlier this week, as the clock struck midnight on Monday 25 August, a contract which affects hundreds of thousands of homes in rural Ireland was terminated. The National Broadband Scheme (NBS), an €80 million contract between the Government and Three Ireland, expired.

So as the scheme comes to an end after six years, what has it done for broadband in rural Ireland and what now lies in store for customers?

Price increase but less speeds

The good news is that, despite the fact Three Ireland can now charge what it likes for broadband in areas where there are no other providers, customers won’t see a massive price hike. If, for example, you were on the NBS plan which cost €20.32, your new plan will only cost an extra €1.67 per month (€21.99).

However, the difference is that now you will be paying a higher price for only 15GB of broadband, prior to this you were getting 40GB. So that’s more money for less of a service.

However, the harsh reality is that 85% of customers in rural Ireland won’t even be able to use the 15GB allocation, so it won’t make a difference to them.

Indeed, as the six-year scheme comes to an end, it’s not the cost that customers will remember, but the service (or lack thereof). Mary O’Donoghue, an Irish Country Living reader from Kerry who previously contacted us about her broadband service, says: “It’s so inconsistent. One day it will work perfectly. Another day, a simple task such as sending an email attachment will be a massive chore. It can take ages – and that’s if it sends at all. We’ve been paying for a very inconsistent service.”

Unreliable service

This is a complaint that Eamonn Wallace, spokesperson for website Ireland Offline (irelandoffline.org), regularly hears. Eamonn explains why the service can be so unreliable.

“Imagine you have a water hose in your back garden. You turn it on during a quiet Tuesday morning when nobody is around and it works perfectly. The weekend arrives though and a friend also plugs their hose into your pipe. You’re now getting half, it’s a bit less power but it’s still working. If another five friends come along though and plug their hose in, the power really starts to slow down. Then another 10 friends plug in and now everybody is working off a drizzle. This is how mobile broadband works in rural areas, and it is a good analogy to explain the inconsistencies that people experience.”

However, the inconsistencies are expected to become worse over the next two to three years. This is because of other recent changes in the broadband market. Just earlier this month, Three Ireland got government clearance to buy rival network O2 Ireland in a deal worth more than €700million.

Now, not only does it mean that Three Ireland have more of a monopoly on the broadband market in Ireland, it also means that this could impact on the amount of masts that are providing coverage to customers.

Eamonn explains further: “If there is one mast on one side of a valley and another on the other side, well Three Ireland technically own both of them now. They may opt to use just one. If we go back to the pipe analogy, it means that more people will be trying to get power out of the one mast, instead of two.”

Hope on the horizon

Hope is on the horizon, although the light at the end of the tunnel is still quite small. The National Broadband Plan, which is due to go live in 2016, appears to be very promising.

Fibre optic cables which provide a far more reliable broadband service are due to be supplied to over 1,100 villages in Ireland. Ireland Offline outlines all these villages, so you can log on to see if your village is included.

Eamonn says: “On paper, not only will this scheme have an extended reach, but fibre optic broadband is a far more reliable option.”

Further details on the plan are due to be released in September and Irish Country Living will keep our readers updated on how it’s set to roll out.

WISP

2016 is a long way off though, especially if your broadband is sketchy at best. So what advice does Eamonn have for rural users?

“Big mobile broadband companies have big advertising budgets. However, do not underestimate the small, local broadband suppliers. WISPs (Wireless Internet Service Providers) are across the country and control the amount of people that can access the service at any one time. If you think about our pipe analogy again, this prevents inconsistencies with the service.”

It is a matter of investigating the WISPs in your area, but they are out there. From Ripplecom Broadband in Limerick to Westnet in Mayo, Permanent Broadband in Cork or Net1 in the northern midlands, these are all realistic options for rural towns.

There are some black spots in the country that are limited to Three Ireland due to the National Broadband Scheme. These include the Black Valley in Kerry and parts of northern Donegal, but we await details of the National Broadband Plan to see what is in store for these areas.