Eircom and Government in broadband swap

madboggar

Eircom is considering a proposal to offer the Government a stake in its copper wire infrastructure in exchange for the state owned Metropolitan Area Networks.

The Networks, known as MANs, are fibre networks which have so far have been built by the Government in around 20 towns around the country as an alternative source of broadband supply.

RTE understands no approach has yet been made to the Government.

It is also understood that Eircom is considering an alternative proposal to offer the state cash offer for the MANs.

Eircom's business strategy is to sell its retail arm while retaining the infrastructure.

If the Government were to accept a deal involving a stake in the combined Eircom/MANs infrastructure, then it would be the first time the state would have some level of control over the copper wire infrastructure it sold off along with the rest of Eircom in 1998.

In the period since there has been considerable criticism of Eircom's investment in its infrastructure to facilitate demand for broadband.

http://www.rte.ie

madboggar

When i read the above story on rte.ie, i was totally amazed. That is giving eircom a top of the range aston martin and they are going to give us a 1990 fiat punto that has been crashed twice.

I am pleading with the government do not go down this road. It is up to the regulator to force eircom to comply. Do not hand over an expensive fibre network around ireland for a shaby copper network.

Sponge Bob

This is funny , being discussed in more depth here