CONTRACTS WILL be signed next week on the long-awaited national broadband scheme to provide service to outlying areas, but it will still be another 22 months before the system is operational, the Dáil has heard.

Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan was "satisfied" the "comprehensive" procurement process would make high-quality broadband available at the "most economically advantageous cost" but he refused to state the cost until the contract is signed on December 11th, with the preferred tenderer 3, a Hutchison Whampoa company.

Fine Gael spokesman Simon Coveney was concerned about whether the service was mobile. "Is the Minister suggesting that 3G or 3 will put up mobile masts in these areas to provide for broadband via a mobile phone? Is he talking about wireless services? That is different but he needs to clarify the situation."

During question time Mr Ryan said: "I use the term mobile in the way it is commonly used as in not fixed-line. This means it is connected to a computer or whatever hand-held device one wants. I am not restricting people in terms of how they access the internet."

This "is a strategic and significant investment by the State to provide coverage so the whole country will have broadband availability".

Labour spokeswoman Liz McManus voiced concern about the "indicative map" representing the levels of broadband coverage through the State. She warned that the map was dependent on existing providers giving relevant information about coverage.

There were, she said "people not in the broadband scheme and not able to access it, even though their area might be described as having such access within the indicative map.

"We are going to end up with the anomalous position where people cannot access, for example, the 3 service, but because they are described as having access, they will not be able to avail of opportunities under the broadband scheme."

She said she had no brief for any company but she noted that when the Minister announced that 3 had won the contract, there was "very widespread disappointment, dismay and downright hostility as regards the choice of 3".

Ms McManus called on the Minister to "spell out the safeguards in place to ensure he has not simply added to the list of complaints" regarding erratic provision, difficulties in speeds and a whole range of issues "that have been raised by current customers".

Mr Ryan said, however, that the nature of the contract and the work that had gone into it meant that "if customers do not get the level of services we are setting, there are implications for the service providers".

He was "particularly pleased" that even though the process took some time, they were able to work to "try to ensure that what we contract here is right and meets the public's expectations. It would have been very easy to try to do something quickly, to put it through for political short-term expediency, in order to be seen to be doing something."

The Minister said there were "teething difficulties" with the roll-out of certain broadband services because they were new but 250,000 people had signed up for such services.