TELECOMS & MOBILE
Faster broadband on the way
31-01-2008
by Charlie Taylor
Fasten your seatbelts for souped up broadband speeds as Ireland's leading telcos unveil improved services.
On Thursday, Eircom announced plans to "significantly increase broadband speeds" for customers nationwide, through a combination of upgrades and new products.
The announcement coincides with the news that the pricing schedule for Eircom's wholesale bitstream products has been updated, meaning that the telco's rivals will also be able to offer faster broadband services at lower prices.
A statement from ComReg on Thursday said that the new rates will come into effect on 1 March 2008.
Meanwhile, Eircom said it will shortly begin offering broadband products with download speeds that range from 1Mbps up to 12Mbps on a phased basis over the coming months.
The telco said that more than 240,000 wholesale and retail customers will see their broadband download speeds increase from 3Mbps to up to 12Mbps. Moreover, retail customers will continue to pay the same monthly fee as they currently do despite the increase in speeds.
Customers currently availing of 3Mbps, 4Mbps or 6Mbps products will see increases in downloads speeds which will at least double, Eircom said. These subscribers will be upgraded to 7.6Mbps, 10Mbps and 12Mbps products respectively. Customers currently using a 2Mbps product will be upgraded to a 3Mbps product.
"Eircom is responding directly to customer needs and levels of broadband usage by introducing increased speeds. Customers are maximising the benefits of their broadband connection through the increased use of online applications such as video streaming, online gaming, music downloads and peer to peer applications. The introduction of these higher speeds benefits broadband users nationwide and is the next step in the rollout of Eircom's Next Generation Network," said Rex Comb, CEO, Eircom.
In related news, BT Ireland announced this week that broadband services of up to 8Mbps are now being rolled out to consumers and businesses in selected parts of the country. BT's 8Mbps broadband package is available from EUR40 per month (including VAT) or EUR26.50 per month as part of a bundle.
Phase One of BT's programme is currently being launched in Tallaght, Dun Laoghaire, Dolphins Barn, North Main (Dublin 1), Terenure, Merrion, Crown Alley, Beggars Bush, Swords, Clondalkin, Summerhill (Dublin), Blanchardstown, Naas, Douglas (Cork) and Dooradoyle (Limerick).
Phase two of the rollout is expected to begin in June 2008 and will see the service being rolled out to other areas of the country.
This latest move by Eircom comes as the Government is facing increasing pressure from Fine Gael and Senator Shane Ross about the state of broadband in Ireland. Fine Gael released a 10-point broadband plan earlier this week, while Senator Shane Ross is bringing a Broadband Bill to government in the coming weeks. Both of these announcements featured criticism of the current broadband speeds available in Ireland.
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