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Peninsula excluded from major telecoms hub 23.07.08

‘Project Kelvin’ to bypass Buncrana and Carndonagh

Story: Inishowen Independent

PROJECT Kelvin, the €43 million cross-border telecommunications project announced last week, will not link to the high speed Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) in Buncrana and Carndonagh.
Project Kelvin, which will be implemented between 2009-11, will procure direct international telecommunications between North America, Europe and the North West. A ‘telehouse’ will be located in Derry and will provide direct access to the Letterkenny and Monaghan MANs.
The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources yesterday confirmed that the telehouse at the centre of Project Kelvin will not link to Buncrana or Carndonagh and there are “no proposals” to develop such a link.
“It’s very disappointing to find that our MAN isn’t going to be linked to this,” said Buncrana Mayor Dermot McLaughlin. “Top quality telecommunications networks are essential to Buncrana and Inishowen and that we’re not hooked up to this means we’re behind Derry and Letterkenny.
“It’s essential that Buncrana and Inishowen can operate on a level playing field,” Cllr McLaughlin continued. “Such services are absolutely vital to the local economy, especially with the times that are in it and the difficulties facing other sectors.”
Metropolitan Area Networks deliver broadband Internet access of unlimited speeds over fibre optic cables and are primarily used by large, technology dependent businesses. The MAN cabling has been in the ground in Carn and Buncrana for more than 18 months and limited service for large-scale users is available through a company called Magnum Opus. Services for smaller business users have not yet commenced.
“We have major IT expansion plans in the near future we need to have the very best communications infrastructure in place before we can give the go ahead,” said Francis Callaghan of Digitalfone 02. “The fact that Buncrana and Carndonagh will not be connected to Project Kelvin means that if we want to pursue our expansion plans any further, and in turn bring badly need employment to the Inishowen area, then we will have to look at some other region Francis Callaghan of Digitalfone O2
that has a proper IT infrastructure in place.” Mr Callaghan called on local politicians to pull together to ensure that Inishowen is included in Project Kelvin.
Cllr McLaughlin said that he would raise the issue at tomorrow (Wednesday) night’s Buncrana Town Council meeting.
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