ComReg directs eircom to respond to industry request for LLU process development

Moriarty

http://www.comreg.ie/whats_new/default.asp?ctype=5&nid=101921

http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg0504.pdf

(Comreg site appears to be having problems, so I've hosted the pdf here. Right click that and 'save as', then rename it from .txt to .pdf.)

Executive Summary
Achieving the successful and widespread introduction of Local Loop Unbundling
(LLU) is an important element in respect of facilitating and enhancing competition
across a number of services, particularly in Broadband.
In tandem with Local Loop Unbundling (and its sub products ULMP and LS) there
exist a number of other wholesale products including Carrier Pre Selection (CPS),
Wholesale Line Rental (WLR), Geographic Number Portability (GNP) and
Bitstream (BS). Each of these products has been developed independently in line
with specific regulatory obligations on the SMP (or USO) operator to provide access
or interconnection products to other authorised operators (OAOs).
As has been the experience in other countries, Access Seekers (those operators
taking the wholesale ULMP and LS products from eircom) are making more
substantial infrastructural investment in LLU and seeking to develop more
comprehensive retail product offerings. This development requires the availability of
a more integrated set of wholesale product offerings and processes.
Access Seekers requirements have been submitted to eircom for the development of
LLU products and process in order to facilitate their business plans. These
requirements have been discussed at industry level as well as between ComReg and
eircom. However disagreement has arisen as to how to efficiently progress matters.
As a consequence, ComReg is issuing two Directions to eircom. These Directions
will require eircom to respond to Access Seekers’ requests and to provide a number
of deliverables to them by 15 February 2005 with an intervening meeting to present
on progress.

Lots more in the .pdf, more to follow when I have a read of it.

damien

ComReg site is down for me. Really want to read this document.

Moriarty

Right, a summary for those with ADD.

Last year a number of 'Access Seekers' (aka ISPs) asked eircom and comreg to create a sustainable and scalable process for LLU, so that access seekers don't have to approach eircom and make agreements individually which has been the case up until now. Eircom has, surprise surprise, been dragging it's heels.

Earlier this month eircom, comreg and the access seekers agreed in principle to create this new system along with what was required to be provided. The access seekers wanted three main things: 1) integration of Geographic Number Portability (GNP) and LLU so both can be ordered simultaneously 2) Bulk and single migrations from other wholesale products to LLU 3) An ordering system that would cater for LLU volume processing.

The latest problem encountered is that eircom wants to specify on their own what specific products are offered out of this (the 'product matrix'). They're refusing to allow the access seekers any input into this first part of the process. The access seekers and comreg both are of the opinion that the access seekers need to be involved in all parts of the creation of this process review, so the access seekers actually get something that is useable at the end of it all. Eircom told comreg that it's only going to continue with this entire process if it's allowed to define the product matrix itself, and further that it'll only begin work on defining this product matrix - which will take 4 weeks in itself, they say - when comreg agree that eircom are right.

That all brings us up to today. ComReg have just issued a directive to eircom to have "an efficient, timely and fit for purpose response to Access Seekers' requirements for the development of LLU products/processes" by 5pm on 14 February.

dahamsta

Moriarty wrote:

Right, a summary for those with ADD.

For those with wha... oooh look, fluff!

ComReg have just issued a directive to eircom to have "an efficient, timely and fit for purpose response to Access Seekers' requirements for the development of LLU products/processes" by 5pm on 14 February.

Which sounds wonderful, until you remember that dozens or more likely hundreds of bitstream customers are still left in limbo between OLOs and Eircom because ComReg won't pull their finger out of their arses and hit Eircom on the head with a hammer until they fix it permanently.

I'm eternally surprised ComReg are able to regulate their own bowel movements, never mind comms for an entire nation.

adam

damien

Eircom continues to sabotage wholesale competition

In a statement this morning, Internet pressure group IrelandOffline welcomed ComReg's latest directive compelling eircom to outline how it will operate with other ISPs who wish to roll out Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) services to consumers.

LLU is internationally recognised as one of the most useful ways in which true competition can be created in the telecommunications sector. The process consists of ISPs locating their own equipment in eircom exchanges and taking over management of individual phone lines to offer consumers a wide range of voice and data products, including broadband Internet access.

Speaking today, Aidan Whyte from IrelandOffline said "LLU has been an unmitigated disaster in Ireland since it's launch in 2001 with less than 2,000 out of more than 1.7 million lines unbundled in the intervening four years. This has been due to eircom implementing a policy of blocking LLU development at every stage with excessive pricing and a hostile bureaucracy, along with extremely poor regulation by the ODTR and its successor ComReg." An EU report* on telecommunications recently expressed concern about the LLU process in Ireland while a Forfas report in November classed it as a failure. Across Europe those countries with competitive LLU pricing have been the leaders in broadband rollout.

Whyte from IrelandOffline added "Over the past six months ComReg has been conducting a review of LLU in Ireland which has resulted in some pricing being brought back into line with European norms. Today's action by ComReg is most welcome. It has become apparent that eircom have been attempting to bully the regulator over the past few weeks on the issue of LLU and it is good news that ComReg are not putting up with it."

Todays directive by ComReg** is a result of non-cooperation by eircom in a lengthy period of negotiations between third party ISPs, eircom and the regulator concerning the implementation of the LLU service by eircom. Up until now, each ISP has had to negotiate individually with eircom on the terms of service that it will receive. This has been a large deterrent to new operators entering the market. The current negotiations aim to streamline the process by implementing a uniform level of service across all LLU operators.

IrelandOffline chairman Damien Mulley concluded "For LLU to make a meaningful difference to broadband access in Ireland, ComReg needs to fast-track the remainder of their LLU review. There has been far too many delays and false starts for LLU and any additional delays must be avoided if LLU is to become the success it can be."


## Notes ##
Brief Summary of the ComReg** document:

On January 6th the individual ISPs agreed on a specific list of requirements to be sought from eircom in relation to service provision. ComReg stated that it agreed with the requirements. Eircom later responded, saying that it should be allowed to design the basic process as they see fit, and that it will only begin to design the systems once ComReg have agreed that no other body will have an input. ComReg strongly disagreed with this assertion, stating that all interested parties should have a say in how the products are developed. Eircom have refused to back down on their original position, so ComReg have had to issue these directives in order to continue the process.

* Eu Report: http://tinyurl.com/5kjab

* ComReg directive:
http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg0504.pdf

eircomtribunal

From siliconrepublic http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single4313

LLU direction to Eircom welcomed by industry


19.01.2005 - UPDATE - The Commission for Communications Regulation's (ComReg) direction last night giving Eircom until 15 February to open up various aspects of its network as part of its universal service obligation that have been allegedly withheld from other operators – ranging from full-carrier pre-selection, wholesale line rental, geographic number portability and bitstream – has been welcomed by the industry.
ComReg issued a direction to Eircom urging it to respond to access seekers' (including licensed telcos such as Esat BT, Smart Telecom and Leap Broadband) requests and to provide a number of deliverables by 15 February, with an intervening meeting to present on progress.

ComReg said that as well as local-loop unbundling (LLU) Eircom was obliged as a “significant market power” to make other wholesale products such as number portability, carrier pre-select and bitstream need to be made available to other authorised operators.

The regulator pointed out that access seekers taking the wholesale LLU products from Eircom are investing substantially in LLU and are seeking to develop more comprehensive retail offerings. Leap Broadband last week revealed it was investing €10m in SDSL services as part of its LLU rollout.

ComReg states: “These requirements have been discussed at industry level as well as between ComReg and Eircom. However, disagreement has arisen as to how efficiently progress matters. As a consequence ComReg is issuing two directions to Eircom. These directions will require Eircom to respond to access seekers’ requests and to provide a number of deliverables to them by 15 February 2005, with an intervening meeting to present on progress.”

Iarla Flynn of telecoms industry body the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators told siliconrepublic.com that services such as the ability of a telco to seamlessly migrate a new customer to broadband, number portability and carrier pre-select in a single step as well as potentially moving 1,000 customers to pre-select in a single move have been too slow to come on stream.

Flynn said: “Important features such as being able to offer a customer broadband and link this in with number portability as well as working with bulk orders such as activating 1,000 new customers are not available to operators. There has been a lot of exchanges to and fro but Eircom has been dragging its feet. ComReg is effectively telling Eircom to respond to these requests within a certain timeframe and present on this progress and simply to stop messing around.

“Eircom have been looking for a huge amount of time to do a simple job. The industry views this as a standard delaying tactic. ComReg is spot on in taking this action,” Flynn said.

He continued: “Players such as Esat BT, Smart and Leap are investing money in future services that the market requires and are committed to delivering. Eircom is obviously threatened and if someone comes along with an unbundling service that works as well as a full range of new products Eircom views this as a potential threat and that’s why we believe it has been dragging its feet.

“The simple truth is that Ireland is way behind on broadband uptake and that wouldn’t be the case if we had better LLU in the market,” Flynn concluded.

Flynn’s views were echoed by lobby group IrelandOffline. Aidan Whyte from IrelandOffline said: “LLU has been an unmitigated disaster in Ireland since it's launch in 2001 with less than 2,000 out of more than 1.7 million lines unbundled in the intervening four years. This has been due to Eircom implementing a policy of blocking LLU development at every stage with excessive pricing and a hostile bureaucracy, along with extremely poor regulation by the ODTR and its successor ComReg.”

Whyte referred to an EU report on telecommunications that recently expressed concern about the LLU process in Ireland while a Forfas report in November classed it as a failure.

Whyte added: “Over the past six months ComReg has been conducting a review of LLU in Ireland which has resulted in some pricing being brought back into line with European norms. It has become apparent that Eircom have been attempting to bully the regulator over the past few weeks on the issue of LLU and it is good news that ComReg are not putting up with it.”

By John Kennedy

P.