Dermot Aherne Speech reported in todays Indo

Calibos

The Indo reported on Dermot Ahernes threat made the other day, that if there isn't more done to reduce price and increase availabilty of Broadband he will consider more regulation etc

The Eircom Rep Mr Redmond countered with.....

"Sure what are ye talkin' 'bout. We have the fastest growing BB customer base in Europe blah blah blah......well on track for 100000 BBcustomers by 2004 blah blah blah........"

I just find this hilarious considering Eircoms stance last year when asked why they weren't rolling out broadband......

"Sure Irish people are different to the rest of Europeans, They don't want or need broadband....theres no point rolling it out.....Our research tell us no one wants it.........."

Don't ya just love ta hate em!! :D:D

nahdoic

Sindo
Ahern warns on roll-out of broadband

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Dermot Ahern issued a
strong warning yesterday that he would intervene on regulatory, infrastructural and legislative fronts to deliver broadband around the country.

Mr Ahern told the annual Telecommunications and Internet Federation conference in Dublin, that almost 80 large towns were losing out because the market was not addressing the challenge of providing this infrastructure.

"It is simply unsustainable that this infrastructural deficit is not being met.

"I want that deficit addressed in a pro-competition, pro-choice and low-cost fashion," he said.

"If it isn't addressed quickly by the market, I will intervene on the regulatory, infrastructural and legislative fronts to advance change," Mr Ahern pledged.

Eircom's commercial director David McRedmond said that his company is delivering on its commitment to making broadband Ireland a reality.

Mr McRedmond said Eircom had invested €1bn in the network over the last five years and had spent €125m rolling out broadband to 850,000 lines in Ireland.

The company says it will spend a further €200m per year for the next five years.

He said the take-up of broadband today was as "good as, if not better, than the experience anywhere else in Europe."

Mr McRedmond added that Eircom expects to have 30,000 broadband customers signed up by the end of this year, and: "we are confident, and we have the evidence, that we will achieve the target we set earlier this year of 100,000 broadband customers by the end of 2004."

Mr Ahern said in his address that experience had shown competition is not a simple concomitant of privatisation and market liberalisation.

"There are parts of the European State where broadband is simply not commercial to install on the basis of a short-term return on capital," he said.

He added that in clear conditions of market failure, or of sluggish market responsiveness, "it is perfectly legitimate for Government to intervene."

He was referring to the Government's initiative with local authorities to roll-out networks in 19 towns and cities initially.

Mr McRedmond said Eircom would work closely with the Government, as the company has on DSL, to "achieve their ambitions and our own for Broadband Ireland."

On the price of broadband, Mr Redmond said that currently Eircom is at the European average, and in relation to the cost of living, which is how the OECD and ComReg measure cost, the company was "amongst the lowest in Europe".

Mr McRedmond said: "All Eircom asks for is to be able to make a sufficient return on the network to attract capital investment and not be forced to sell it to resellers."

Esat BT, Eircom's biggest fixed line competitor here, welcomed the Minister's comments in a statement issued after the telecoms conference.

Richard Curran
Business Editor

seamus

Originally posted by nahdoic
Mr McRedmond added that Eircom expects to have 30,000 broadband customers signed up by the end of this year, and: "we are confident, and we have the evidence, that we will achieve the target we set earlier this year of 100,000 broadband customers by the end of 2004."

Overinflating the figures a little.....
Current customer base stands at 17,000 - Most of whom signed up in the last 6 months, which is incredible considering "The Irish people don't want broadband, at any price". So eircom want to double their customer base in a little over 2 months. Good luck with that.
Their figures for the end of next year are realistic and promising, but they're a *little* lower than what he's said.

All in all, fluff from eircom. What does "we expect to have x customers by the end of next year" mean anyway. It's an irrelevant piece of question-dodging which provides no relevant information to the situation at present.

nahdoic

Ahern warns on roll-out of broadband

I love the title though - it's as if Ahern is a big tyrant trying to delay, while eircom tirelessly presists to get broadband out to the Irish people despite these government obstacles and warnings. Unbiased journalism, what have you.

On the price of broadband, Mr Redmond said that currently Eircom is at the European average, and in relation to the cost of living, which is how the OECD and ComReg measure cost, the company was "amongst the lowest in Europe".

How can he keep getting away with saying this? Lies, lies, lies. What is his source for saying this?

dahamsta

He's probably telling the truth nahdoic. We have the highest cost of living in Europe, so if you balance the price against the cost of living, it probably is average. Or to put it the way he wouldn't want us to read it: "Everyone else is screwing the Irish, so we are too." Same thing, different way of putting it.

adam