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[IT]Eircom criticised over connection charges

  • 05-08-2005 1:16pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,500 ✭✭✭


    By Jamie Smyth, Technology Reporter
    E-net, the firm managing the Government's telecoms infrastructure, has criticised Eircom for not offering affordable connections to two of its networks.

    The State's metropolitan area networks in Gweedore, Co Donegal and Kiltimagh, Co Mayo are lying idle because E-net is not able to secure cheap "backhaul" - telecoms connections that can carry traffic back to Dublin.

    The two fibre networks cost several million euro to build and lay and are a key part of the Government's strategy to provide the latest telecoms infrastructure in regional areas to attract inward investment and employment.

    John Lawlor, E-net's marketing manager, said Eircom was the only firm in a position to provide the connectivity required. E-net faced a challenge to attract users to the network in the areas, he added.

    He said the backhaul prices being quoted by Eircom were too high to enable E-net to attract other firms to use the networks.

    In a statement last night Eircom said it was not its responsibility to provide connectivity to someone else's network. "It's a competitive market with a regulated range of products, set at geographically averaged prices as required by the regulator.

    "Eircom is delighted to offer the exact same products and services, with standard terms and conditions, as we offer to any other customer," the company said in the statement.

    Eircom has been a trenchant critic of the Government's €170 million strategy to build its own networks in regional towns.

    It has previously warned that these State broadband networks would duplicate its own network.

    E-net, which is currently managing 20 regional broadband networks on behalf of the State, has issued a multimillion euro tender seeking firms that can provide connectivity to its networks.

    The new tender covers the 20 existing metropolitan area networks that are already managed by E-net.

    It also is asking firms to submit offers to link a further 94 networks scheduled to be built in towns across the State.

    "It is possible that the request for tender will unblock these areas by persuading firms to take a fresh look at providing backhaul to these areas," said Mr Lawlor.

    He added that RTÉ may be able to offer connectivity in at least one of the two areas.

    Most of the other State regional networks managed by E-net have benefited from special backhaul deals negotiated with the ESB and BT Ireland. But Eircom is the only fixed telecoms firms that can offer connectivity in Gweedore and Kiltimagh.

    It remains unclear how many of the extra 94 networks that are scheduled to be built by the State could face similar problems in attracting backhaul capacity.

    © The Irish Times
    Classic case of eircom sticking up its two fingers at E-Net as they are in a position of power regarding provision of backhaul and can effectively quote whatever they like. It was bound to happen but as Jamie queries, how many of the extra 94 MAN's might face similar problems?

    Viking


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,144 ✭✭✭eircomtribunal


    There are two short and telling mentions of the MAN on ENN today, confirming the fears that the MAN idea was poorly thought out from the beginning.
    When the DCMNR keeps bragging about the success of the MANs by telling us that they were (so far) completed on time and on budget, then they are missing the point. To make sense the MANs would need to provide fibre to the home connections and they are no help to enable that. Even if the Kiltimagh MAN got reasonable backhaul, what good would the strands of fibre meandering through the village be good for? They are certainly useless for connecting a wireless provider.:
    The Irish Times reports that E-net, the company managing the government's telecoms infrastructure, has criticised Eircom for not offering affordable connections to two of its networks. E-net says that the State's metropolitan area networks (MANs) in Gweedore, Donegal, and Kiltimagh, Mayo, are lying idle because E-net is not able to secure cheap "backhaul" -- telecoms connections that can carry traffic back to Dublin. John Lawlor, E-net's marketing manager, said Eircom was the only firm in a position to provide the connectivity required and that the backhaul prices they were quoted were too high.
    In other news of the MANs, the Irish Independent says that London stockbroker Citigroup Smith Barney has said the take-up of the government-funded telecoms infrastructure has been "disappointing". According to the broker's report, BT Ireland is the biggest user of the MANs, and its take-up is just 11 fibre pairs spread across eight MANs with an annual spend of just EUR150,000. However, E-net's marketing director said the figures used in the report were out of date.

    P.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,500 ✭✭✭viking


    ...However, E-net's marketing director said the figures used in the report were out of date...
    And did he put forward the up-to-date figures then to back up this claim?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,500 ✭✭✭viking


    Seems as though he did:
    ...But Enet's marketing director John Lawlor said the figures from Citigroup were out of date, and that so far this year it has signed up €1m worth of business.

    He said the infrastructure will do €3m worth of business this year and currently has all of the major telecommunications companies, except Eircom, as customers. Mr Lawlor added that 27 MANs will be operational by the end of this year...


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