And Hard neck of the Year award goes to ......

Altreab

EIRCOM ...... thanks to this story from the Sunday Tribune today
full story below for those that dont want to register with ST site!!!



ComReg look into telecom 'monopoly'
Una Mullally


THE Communications Regulator, ComReg, will publish a series of recommendations in July aimed at easing tensions between Eircom and Smart Telecom. Eircom approached the the regulator following concerns that Smart Telcom was operating a "monopoly" in newly developed areas of Dublin including Smithfield and Park West. Smart Telecom has made several deals with developers to install its telephone, digital television and broadband internet services in newly built apartment blocks. Concerns were raised earlier this year when some customers were refused the right to switch networks. Eircom claimed Smart Telecom was preventing it from entering the market in the areas.

A consultation paper has been prepared by ComReg, a spokeswoman told the Tribune. "We are working to resolve the issues, " she said.

"Our main intention is to keep discussions going and find a resolution that keeps everyone happy, including consumers." All relevant operators were invited to take part in the paper. Consumers have also been in touch with us, " the spokeswoman said.

oscarBravo

Jesus H Tapdancing Christ.

damien

It was also in their latest USO consultation. I guess with eircom paying so much of ComReg's income, they have a right to see the money well spent.

JohnC.

As much as people may dislike eircom, surely they have a point there? I certainly would not like to be tied solely to one provider, be it eircom, Smart, BT or anyone else with no right to switch to anyone else. I know it may be hypocritical of eircom to make this complaint, but I feel it is nevertheless a valid complaint.

Sponge Bob

Kahless wrote:

As much as people may dislike eircom, surely they have a point there? I certainly would not like to be tied solely to one provider

Ya indeedy but its not Comregs fault its Dick Roche and his building regs that are at fault. Comreg can issue a guideline and everybody will laugh at them . The carrier owns the gear they install and thats that.

NOBODY should have a monopoly there should be ducts accessible to all in every apartment block. Smart, NTL, Eircom, Magnet, let them ALL in.

The Real B-man

People wanting to change to eircom when the whole package is smart ehh hello!!!

Altreab

Sponge Bob wrote:

Ya indeedy but its not Comregs fault its Dick Roche and his building regs that are at fault. Comreg can issue a guideline and everybody will laugh at them . The carrier owns the gear they install and thats that.

NOBODY should have a monopoly there should be ducts accessible to all in every apartment block. Smart, NTL, Eircom, Magnet, let them ALL in.

DONT get me started on building Regs ..... only thing that gets me more revved up than fecking Eircon!!!

bk

Most new apartment developments around Dublin have either Smart or Magnet as the exclusive telecoms provider.

Smart charge €100 for 2m BB, phone and 75 channel digital TV. The 2m BB on its own costs €50 :eek:

Given that in the DSL world smart charge €35 for 3m BB including line rental, I can certainly understand why people trapped in these mini monopolies are not happy, they are simply being milked.

Also despite Smart using fibre, in some apartment blocks, people have been having very serious problems, with speeds no faster then dial-up.

Solair

eircom do have a very valid point on this issue even if it is a little hypocritical. If you have access to an eircom line you also by default have access to all of the CPS phone companies and bitstream broadband providers too.

It's a little ridiculous not to allow eircom access to sites. Ducts should be made available to everyone.

At least eircom's a regulated, albeit it badly regulated, monopoly. Smart has no universal service obligations or obligation to provide you with access to any other company over their infrastructure. If you'd only got access to a smart connection you'd have no options at all other than to stick with them. It'd be like the old days of Telecom Eireann before carrier pre-select!!!

Doesn't this breech European and Irish competition legislation? i.e. they're creating a closed telephony market on a very small scale ???

If smart / magnet are the only providers available to a group of customers they should simply have to comply with all of the same access legislation that eircom has. i.e. have to provide full carrier pre-select and bit stream access!

viking

Isn't it the fact that because Smart/Magnet/Whoever don't have SMP means that they are not required to open up their (small) monopoly networks?

If Smart became a bigger force and there were more sites with Smart kits only (enough to warrant ComReg to designate them SMP) then they would be obliged to open up their network.

cgarvey

3 issues here ... 1 is no SMP so no obligation to share network (which hoepfully is what ComReg are working on). The 2nd is an anti-comptitive contract between the builders/management company and the telco. I presume complaining to the competition authority would only leave you in the CA/ComReg loop (that's a telco issue, please refer to ComReg .. that's clearly a comptition issue, please refer to CA).

Finally, eircom and NTL have clearly stated to customers of such sites, that they have no interest in serving the site, because the cost of install would be too expensive. So describing eircom as being hypocritical here is a gross understatement. It is a valid complaint though, no doubt. It's a pity a consumer (or group of 'em) in such a site didn't bring it though.

.cg

bk

cgarvey wrote:

Finally, eircom and NTL have clearly stated to customers of such sites, that they have no interest in serving the site, because the cost of install would be too expensive. So describing eircom as being hypocritical here is a gross understatement. It is a valid complaint though, no doubt. It's a pity a consumer (or group of 'em) in such a site didn't bring it though.

On the contrary, NTL have clearly stated that they are willing to bring cable TV to any development as long as it isn't too far from the main trunk.

In fact I've heard stories of NTL being very helpful to people in new developments without NTL, in getting cable TV to the development and working with the management company, etc.

I'm sure the same is true for Eircom.

cgarvey

bk wrote:

On the contrary, NTL have clearly stated that they are willing to bring cable TV to any development as long as it isn't too far from the main trunk.

As of early last year, I can categorically state that is bollox. If it's changed since then, then that's to be welcomed. I know of 1 complex where I had a great chat with an NTL contractor from Carlow who explained where the trunk was running, and that the dig of 50 feet (all on the private property of the complex) was too much effort for NTL. The internals had all been done by the developer. They still don't have NTL (I'm no longer in that complex / on the steering committee).

Eircom are the same, you're right. They've a street cab on Crumlin road which got new fibre just over 2 years ago (Crumlin road was in a heap for a few months over it). Yet they can't dig across the road (just across Crumlin road). The developer of a nearby complex (not naming, because of outstanding legals), who offered to lay fibre or trunk copper (whichever eircom/sierra wanted) to the street cab. That was 2 years ago. Instead the complex is running of a PBX with 3 phones lines (installed to a garage of a nearby established housing estate.

So the will most definitely wasn't there up to a while ago. If you're telling me there has been a dramatic change in either company then that's, of course, to be welcomed. I've not seen any evidence of that though, and both places I've been directly involved in are still without NTL/eircom.

Smart, on the other hand, were only to happy to step in. I think that's almost a definite for 1.

cgarvey

Oh, and while we're on the NTL are great buzz.. they were completely unhelpful. In my case, 18 of us signed a letter appealing for an account manager to be assigned to our cause, so that we wouldn't have to explain the whole process to front-line staff each time we rang up. They replied saying the front line staff were best equipped to deal with our query. So, you see NTL can "clearly state" all they want.

It's what they do that counts. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that they're the reason many new complexes in Dublin are going for the mini-monopolies. At least they'll get TV from day 1.

I know personally of 4 complexes who are over 2 years waiting for analogue TV (internals are all done, and terminated underground outside as directed to by NTL in the first instance). Talking to 2 developers (1 only a month ago) leads me to believe that neither eircom or NTL have changed!

Sponge Bob

cgarvey wrote:

I know personally of 4 complexes who are over 2 years waiting for analogue TV (internals are all done, and terminated underground outside as directed to by NTL in the first instance). Talking to 2 developers (1 only a month ago) leads me to believe that neither eircom or NTL have changed!

Oooooooh thats harsh , true and harsh but harsh.

Were we not invited to chew the croissants with Pierre then ???????

cgarvey

The sandwiches all had butter, I don't like butter.