Closing the digital divide in rural Ireland

When we talk about digitally disconnected communities, your mind might wander immediately to those in remote locations in developing countries, like the Sahara Desert or the Amazon. But what if we told you that over 1.5 million homes in the UK and 11% of Ireland still didn’t have access to the internet?

Cost of the digital divide

The cost of this lack of connectivity is huge in a world that is pretty much digital by default. It stops those impacted from fully participating in modern life, and of course, holds businesses back. Research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) predicts that digital exclusion alone will have cost the economy ￡22 billion by 2028.

Cape Clear struggled to connect

Sitting on Ireland’s southernmost inhabited tip, Cape Clear is just 3 miles long and 1 mile wide with a permanent population of 147 people. The island has lots going for it with a beautiful setting that’s visited by whales and dolphins, as well as tourists in the summer looking to catch a glimpse and check out some of the island's many archaeological sites.?

Unfortunately, its residents, harbour, hotels, pubs, shops and historical attractions were all suffering because of the poor mobile and internet connection. Mairtín ó Méalóid – Chairman of Comharchumann Chléire Teoranta, the Cape Clear Co-operative explains that “there were areas of the island that had no prospect of receiving mobile phone coverage. We really suffered – driving to another part of the island to make a phone call was a way of life for some people”.?

The impact on the local economy was huge, Seamus ó Drisceoil – founder and manager of Cape Clear Island Distillery describes “going in and out of coverage around the island was a way of life. We had to adjust our business as a result and accept that we would lose opportunities due to lost calls.” It also impacted everyone’s ability to access the internet, with people struggling to have more than one device connected at any one time.

Searching for a solution

The community knew there had to be a way to improve things. They’d already successfully put a radio transmission aerial on the highest part of the island as part of a previous project. They knew it worked well so they decided to explore the idea of putting a tower up there. They reached out to their local Vodafone shop an hour away on the mainland in Skibbereen who put them in touch with Vodafone HQ, who then introduced them to us.

We knew immediately this was a project we needed to be a part of. The island development cooperative prepared the site and foundations – an operation which involved the coordinated transporting of five cement lorries from the mainland by barge, to make the concrete base. The standing of the structure was equally tricky – with the ferrying of a crane to the island for less than 48 hours.

While logistically challenging at times, we’re proud to be involved in the project. As a TowerCo, we know we have a clear role to play in helping to close the digital divide. A solid foundation built upon sound principles is not only essential to keeping a business on the straight and narrow, but also for providing a wider benefit to the world. With that comes a set of important responsibilities; to support and maintain local communities and spaces, where possible leaving the land that we steward better than we found it and enabling remote groups to access the opportunities in digital.

Opening up a whole new world

The tower has had a huge impact across the whole island. Patsy ó Drisceoil, who owns the tower site, says “There was a huge amount of collaboration and community goodwill towards the project. The logistical planning was worth it in the end because 90% of the island now has high-speed coverage. My wife works online and she has had to upgrade her equipment to accept the higher speeds that we are now experiencing.”

Liam Weddick, who retired to the island from Dublin 25 years ago says, “This has made a massive difference to Cape Clear – there are people at South Harbour on one side of the island who are now logging speeds of 40-50mbps. My wife Solenn works as a software translator and for the first time we can both go online without cutting the speed in half!”

While Mairtín ó Méalóid – Chairman of Comharchumann Chléire Teoranta, the Cape Clear Co-operative continues “I can now make a call from my house, which is something that I could never do. There is a certain resilience which comes from island life, but this reduces our sense of isolation. It also enables businesses such as the glamping site to offer connectivity to tourists, as well as providing service to parts of the mainland and Sherkin Island that was previously isolated. The tower is also providing a signal out to sea, which is vital from a safety point of view.”

Contributing to better communities

We’re incredibly proud to have played a part in supporting the Cape Clear community on their quest to become better connected and helping close the digital divide. However, this is only the beginning. We’re excited to explore how else we can leverage our position as one of Europe’s leading TowerCos to help bring communities and their people together. We look forward to sharing more progress soon.