Good news for broadband deprived businesses in rural Ireland has arrived with the launch of Broadband+ by Three. The new wireless service uses Three’s 4G network, which can deliver speeds up to 10 times faster than all other broadband options in rural Ireland. “Users can expect speeds of up to 100Mbps and sometimes more in certain locations, but we have also seen upstream speeds of above 30Mbps which is critical for business,” says Three chief business officer Eoin McManus.
“Three’s Broadband+ solution means that businesses in rural areas now have access to urban speeds and reliable connectivity that allows access to services like Skype video calls, remote CCTV at offices and building sites, HD video, and remote live video for training,” McManus adds. “It is also future proofed for the technology developments coming in the future.”
The service is delivered through an external antenna installed on the outside of the building which is connected to a wifi access point. “Broadband+ is available now for businesses in all areas of the country where 4G is already available, which is currently is at 97 per cent coverage. And it is available to all businesses, not just Three customers,” says McManus.
“At Three, we want Irish businesses to be better connected and Broadband+ responds to a clear customer demand for rural broadband solutions,” he continues. “This is particularly important for industry sectors such as construction which are often trying to operate in greenfield sites that have no existing infrastructure in place. We also want to connect Ireland’s small businesses with excellent, high-speed broadband so that they can focus on their objectives and continue to be competitive and stay competitive.
Extensive trials
“We did extensive trials and pilots in development to make sure we covered all angles. All customers receive a prequalification test to allow us to gauge whether Broadband+ is something that will be successful for them.”
The solution was trialled on several sites by John Paul Construction, one of Ireland's largest construction firms. "The availability of high-speed connectivity on our construction sites is vital for our business in order to enable the onsite team to access the cloud-based applications and services that they rely on," says IT manager Jim McDonnell. "Three's Broadband+ solution has delivered superfast speeds and is more than enough to handle the busiest of our sites. The quick installation means we hit the ground running and achieve high levels of productivity from day one."
Dependable connectivity is vital for almost every business in today’s world, according to McManus. “There is still a large number of businesses out there that are trying to run with poor broadband capabilities – they are maybe able to check and respond to some emails depending on the time of day but that’s it. Reliable connectivity is vital. Imagine if a business in a rural location had a high-speed broadband connection, what they could do could be transformative for them. Reliable, efficient broadband can completely change how you run your business for the better.”
This is particularly the case for businesses with multiple locations. “In these cases, the challenge for an IT team is to ensure reliable connectivity, allowing the teams in different locations to access the cloud-based services they need,” he adds. With Broadband+ companies can be more productive from day one, relieving stress and saving time. It’s also important to note that Broadband+ is 5G ready, so it can meet connectivity needs long into the future.”
Education sector
It is not only businesses that can benefit from the high-speed connections offered by the new service. “In the education sector, Three’s Broadband+ could help with remote instruction and allow specialised subjects to be taught where teachers are not available in a specific location,” McManus explains. “It could also allow interactive working with sister schools, or with schools in other countries. As well as that, it could greatly benefit interactive learning in the classroom, as children, like most people will remember better based on an experience rather than just hearing or being told.”
And data allowances are very generous making the service affordable for even the heaviest of users. “The installation fee is just €199 and the service costs €59 a month after that for unlimited data”, he points out. “Even with the fair usage policy of 750GB, it is still 14 times higher than the standard business use over fibre.”
three.ie/business