By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Technology in use
Why broadband has never been more important for a residential care home in the midst of a global pandemic by John Keaney, SIRO CEO.
Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have been difficult for everyone, but it has been even more challenging for residential care homes across the country like the Tara Care Centre in Bray. Families suddenly could not visit loved ones, many of the centre’s operations quickly shifted online and connectivity was key as part of the vaccination programme.
The management of Tara Care Centre realised very early that their existing broadband service simply could not cope with simultaneous video calls by numerous residents, along with ongoing uploading and downloading of vital information as part of ongoing engagement with the health authorities. Simply put, they could not risk the safety of residents and staff due to slow broadband speeds.
After being connected to the SIRO network, the Tara Care Centre could ensure residents could contact loved ones from the comfort of their own rooms, instead of needing to be reliant on being nearby to a wifi router; and instantly access and upload the necessary information in seconds as part of the requirements of the vaccination programme and Covid-19 testing regime. That’s why a Fibre-to-the-Building broadband service was a crucial part of their strategy for navigating their way through the pandemic.
What most companies do not realise is that they are actually using a residential Fibre broadband service, which simply is not suitable for their needs – a fact that is suddenly becoming obvious in the midst of the pandemic as their service slows to a crawl.
Regular Fibre broadband is typically delivered to a regular telecoms cabinet near to your company premises, with a copper connection serving as the last mile. In contrast, a Fibre-to-the-Building broadband service consists of a fibre-optic cable connected directly to your premises. It is a dedicated connection that is not shared with other users and it has no copper connections at any point to slow down the network.
The crucial aspect of a Fibre-to-the-Building business broadband service is that it is an asymmetric service where upload speeds are the same as download speeds, meaning that it is specifically designed for the demands of a modern business where supporting video and large file sharing, multiple remote users, cloud-based applications and smart technologies is a must. If a company is using a residential fibre broadband service, their upload speeds will be around 10% of the download speed.
SIRO, a joint venture between the ESB and Vodafone, is building Ireland’s only 100% Fibre-to-the-Building broadband network. Using the existing ESB network, SIRO delivers fibre-optic cables all the way to the building. Our Fibre-to-the-Building technology is recognised as the only future proofed broadband in Ireland, with a solution specifically tailored for business providing Enterprise grade SLA services, including a 24/7 option to give your company peace of mind.
Our services are available from a range of broadband retailers such as Vodafone, Digiweb, Viatel, Airwire, Blacknight Internet Solutions, Carnsore Broadband and Westnet. To enquire about switching to SIRO, simply search your Eircode on SIRO.ie to find out which retailers are available at your business address.
