LLU logjam could impair €500m BT investment

bealtine

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single7336
Edited quotes from Danny McLaughlin

"However, he warned that the investment path will most likely be achieved faster in Northern Ireland than the Republic because of what he terms the “frustratingly slow” pace of progress in terms of automating LLU."

Maybe we need Ofcom to look at the Irish market...oh wait they already did.
We have the highest telecommunications cost in the EU.


"“For a competitive and sustainable marketplace things need to move very quickly. The latest quarterly report from ComReg [Commission for Communications Regulation] was a disappointing read. While things are moving on, progress is slow. The easy bits of the plan have been done, the hard work is still ahead."

Comreg does nothing(again)


"McLaughlin said that there is perhaps a six-month period before BT will start to see its investment plan impaired. “We have already began our upgrade path but the industry needs to get its systems in place in the next few months."


Is that an ultimatum? Six months to sort things out?

thebman

“The problem is not all Eircom’s fault. Other operators involved in the industry group need to complete their work too by creating matching systems to enable automation of customer transfer between operators,” McLaughlin said.

This part is interesting. Doesn't this mean that no operator has an automated customer transfer system? Its not just eircom's fault but they are the main operator that people are leaving so it is most important for them to do it.

However doesn't this highlight a complete failure on Comreg's part to ensure new entrants have such a system in place when setting up and shouldn't it really be a joint system by all the telecom's companies involved to fund an independant system so it is easy to transfer from any telecom's company to another and no one system is crap while anothers works really well (as you having an easy way for your customers to leave while your competitor does not puts you at a disadvantage really)?

Of course the development of such a system would require communication companies to communicate with each other and the regulator to regulate.

watty

How do the moble operators (some of which are the same companies) do it? That works (Changing operator with same phone and number).

Solair

Well it's hardly going to be a problem for BT in Northern Ireland since they're in the same position as eircom are in the Republic i.e. they're the incumbant and own the network, the wiring and the local exchanges.