Computers around the world are connected to a network called the Internet which allows them to communicate with one another.

Rewards

Broadband provides faster Internet speeds and access to advanced telecommunication services and facilities.

Research shows that people go online more frequently and stay online longer when they have access to broadband. With broadband the Internet is much more responsive and more can be achieved so, naturally enough, people use it more.

This section outlines some of the many advantages and opportunities that broadband delivers.

Rewards at home

If you regularly use the Internet on a dialup modem you will already be familiar with the frustrations involved. Apart from slow download speeds there's the anxiety about running up the phone bill and, to crown it all, the phone is engaged while you or another family member is online.

With broadband, the annoying whistling and screeching noise of the modem making the connection is a thing of the past. Once your PC is switched on, the Internet is already there in the background waiting for you to use it.

With always-on broadband there's no need to watch the clock while you're online. You pay a fixed monthly fee to use the Internet, no matter how often you go online or at what time of day. And you can still use the phone at the same time.

Broadband allows several members of the family to be online and using the Internet at the same time.

BROADBAND RECREATION

Music and video files download faster, so rich media services are much more attractive.
• Online shopping and banking are convenient and can be less stressful.
• Storing and sharing digital photos works a treat, as does sending them to an online lab for printing.
• Visits to video and audio streaming sites, where data is viewed as it downloads, are worthwhile. Many of the big international sites offering news and sport now provide online video clips too.
• Listening to radio stations around the world is no longer wishful thinking.
• Interactive gaming with people elsewhere on the Internet runs more smoothly.
• Low-cost international phone calls are possible.

Broadband delivers many of the promises of the digital home and with so-called triple play services (digital TV, Internet and phone) gradually being introduced via broadband there's likely to be more innovation on the way.

Broadband at home has meant faster download times, the ability to keep in touch using email and messaging and, because it is a flat rate, there are no time limits and it is always on. We can also now play online games and even get TV and radio through the web.
Sarah McKiver,
Homeuser, Longford.

Advantages for business

Broadband delivers opportunities to the workplace for cost-saving, productivity gains and innovation. Some examples follow.

• Email. Messages are delivered and sent faster so less time is wasted. Since broadband is always there in the background once the PC is switched on, email can be checked at regular intervals throughout the day, automatically. Communication at all levels becomes more immediate.
• Large files. Because of increased data transmission speeds, sending and receiving large files such as drawings, images, proofs, or software upgrades, is not a problem with a broadband connection.
• Web. Newer browsers work best with broadband. Tabbed browsing, for example, allows several favourite pages to be opened at once - not realistic on dialup. Technologies, such as live news feeds, are always there in the background and can be accessed without delay.
• Research and learning. Research and training can be undertaken more efficiently.
• Internet telephony. Known as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), broadband can be used to avail of free or low-cost phone calls nationally and worldwide - to other broadband users and to normal landline numbers. The PC needs a microphone and speaker (or headset).
• Virus protection. The size and frequency of computer virus protection program updates and security patches makes broadband a must for those who are serious about online security.
• Customer support. When dealing with customers staff can be online and on the phone at the same time to answer queries.
• Flexible working. Staff with broadband at home can be more flexible. They can work uninterrupted at home on occasion, to meet a deadline for example, and can still check email and connect with the office as normal. Teleworking is also facilitated.
• Employee satisfaction. Staff appreciate broadband because it allows them to get more done, quicker and more conveniently.

The future for today's Ireland is heavily dependent on access to broadband and other related innovative technologies. The Flanagan Group look forward with enthusiasm to a competitive broadband marketplace operating in the midlands.
John Flanagan, MD
Flanagan Group, Tullamore

Education benefits

Broadband brings additional benefits to education and learning:

• Online learning. Broadband provides a much better learning environment than dialup ever can. There's no clock watching involved so the requirement to be online for extended periods of time is not a problem. Online lessons and demonstrations load and play smoothly. Interaction is facilitated. And there are lots of course choices available now on a huge range of academic, professional and lifestyle topics.
• Research. Without the frustrations of a dialup connection, barriers to online research are removed.
• Online publications. Many publishers now provide books and magazines in an online format too. These usually work out cheaper and can be delivered as soon as they are published. There is the added benefit of being able to search through publication archives electronically to find specific information.
• Software evaluation. Try-before-you-buy versions of software are often provided online to allow a test drive prior to purchase. Without broadband the often very large downloads involved are impractical.
• Video conferencing. A broadband connection provides smoother video and voice synchronisation. Some courses now include online lectures and tutorials delivered by webcast which can be "attended" from anywhere in the world.
• Future skills. Using online tools and applications on the Internet (searching, instant messaging, newsfeeds, blogging, etc.) equips students with useful skills for the knowledge-based economy as it evolves in the workplace.
• Cost savings. The ability to make telephone calls via broadband lines (on PCs with a microphone and speaker) provides free or low-cost calls around the world.

Advantages for the Midlands

The Midland region as a whole needs a broadband-literate population and business community to continue to attract investment into the future. Fortunately, the necessary telecommunications infrastructure is already being put in place to ensure that the Midlands can get the most from new technologies and developments.

Because of the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) - see Regional Broadband Programme (page 10), the Midlands is now well placed to meet the telecommunications needs of bigger businesses and institutions, and is better able to compete on an equal footing with other locations in the country to attract new businesses to the region.

As services become available on the MANs, new and innovative telecommunication services will also become available to smaller and medium-sized businesses around the region.

Broadband availability increases workplace flexibility and could also have wider implications. For example, as home and work boundaries continue to blur, daily admin tasks performed at home could help relieve peak traffic congestion and allow for more flexible childcare arrangements.

With foresight and innovation, benefits to society and cost-savings are possible when broadband is widely adopted.

Midlands broadband website

The midlandbroadband.ie website aims to increase awareness and demand for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) among businesses and consumers in the Midland counties.

The National Spatial Strategy offers exciting prospects for the future development of the Midland Region, County Offaly and the Midland Linked Gateway ATM (Athlone, Tullamore and Mullingar). Achievement of this potential can only be realised on a platform of quality strategic infrastructure. Broadband is an essential element of that agenda.

Niall Sweeney,
Offaly County Manager and Designated Manager (Midland Region).