Eircom Broadband just got 20 euro cheaper!

byrnenj

Check this out on the eircom site! Broadband for 20 euro! It's a time based one but their normal starter is down to 29.99 as a promotion! I wonder will they be moving to that perminantly soon to chalange the cheaper prices?

Moves in the right direction either way!

edit
Oops, forgot the link
the link
/edit

niallb

byrnenj wrote:

Check this out on the eircom site!
...
Moves in the right direction either way!
the link

I disagree!
I'm just gobsmacked Eircom have the gall to do this with a dsl product:
They won't let go of their per minute fascination!
This is a mugging.

...After the 20 hour allowance, customers will be charged 4c per minute for additional usage...


NiallB.

Mutant_Fruit

OMFG!

Thats all i can say. We are trying to ditch the ****ing per minute charges, why the **** are they bringing them back! That is an absolute ****ing disgrace! 4c a min is rediculous as well, being about 3 times what it costs for dialup per minute.

Yes, there is a demand for a more flexible entry level broadband option, and this is definately not it. I'd be ashamed as a broadband ISP to promote **** like this.

EDIT: How can they classify this as always on? If it was always on, then wouldn't you go over your limit within 1 day. Better plug out those routers lads....

WellyJ

How the hell do you STOP your DSL connection, isnt it on whenever you turn on your PC? unless you plug it out of the wall. Typical Eircom idiocy. Per minute service for DSL, i reckon thats a world first probably.

Morons
WellyJ

Yakuza

Some Eircom dude will be on The Last Word to discuss the new pricing structure in the next few mins...

As for "per minute" broadband....doesn't make sense...
And why is the Home Plus price unchanged? /grrrr

Mutant_Fruit

whats hte last word and where can i listen/watch it?

dahamsta

http://www.todayfm.com/

McLiar should be up next.

There's a thread discussing this in the IrelandOffline forum. And another about ten threads down from this one.

adam

WellyJ

ARGH

Read down the page on that link

Home Plus CAP is being put back to 8GB with a 3c per MB charge over the limit

Does this mean they might bs starting to charge?

Mutant_Fruit

WellyJ wrote:

Home Plus CAP is being put back to 8GB with a 3c per MB charge over the limit

Do eircom have monkeys in charge? This is more than just a step backward, its a giant leap backwards, then a quick car journey past the border. I'm shocked, i'm assuming the other ISP's are all going to leap on this in a bid to promote how much better their products are, because as of today, Eircon offer by far the worst packages around!

god's toy

I simply can’t believe this crap! My God €ircon, you just don’t get it do you… or maybe you do, Fu**ers.:mad:

thejollyrodger

SCUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is the biggest joke in europe

Shane O' Malley

Got to agree that this is a sham of a product.

At a time when Smart will do full broadband, allways on, double the speed for €25 per month including line rental (Even if it is a opening offer) Eircom want to compete with €19.99 + €24 line rental.

Esat/BT will do broadband at €49 inc line rental. That makes the broadband €25

So what are they doing?

Ideas?

1. Protect their Voice traffic from VOIP
2. Fullfilling a goverment obligation but trying to do it in a way that they will not have to actually provide any outlay
3. Being run by short sighted ( and thick) accountants who believe that people are too lazy to move to other suppliers.

All in all, and being an optimist, i have to think that there must be some other anouncement on the way or a correction to this one.

If not, i will be cancelling my contract with them, (Still got 3 months to go) and refusing to pay a penalty on the basis that i at least assumed that the price i would be charged would be kept at a competitive level.

We will see what the coming week brings.

odie

Come on Eircon....Lets make it competitive. How about Standard BB for €20 pm and BB Plus for €30.

Get off this Per minute sh****.....I mean do you really pay someone to come up with these ideas.

If so you are not paying them enough. Coz as they say....you pay peanuts you get monkeys.....and that must be one hell of a monkey who thought that up.

Shane O' Malley

If anyone was listening to the Eircom guy on Today FM this evening can you post if he said anything of interest

SeaSide

Shane O' Malley wrote:

1. Protect their Voice traffic from VOIP

This is it. If you are not online 24x7 then no one can get you on your VoIP number or Skype. Also if you only have 30mins a day you cant talk for long.

Creamy Goodness

Shane O' Malley wrote:

If anyone was listening to the Eircom guy on Today FM this evening can you post if he said anything of interest

http://www.irelandoffline.org/files/media/mp3/050616-todayfm-McRedmond.mp3


how anyone could think this is a good idea is beyond me

odie

David McRedmond says this is a new initiative but it's just a rehash of old initiatives that other telecom providers are moving away from.
Really it is time Eircom took some real initiative and opened up the Broadband pipeline the way providers in the UK and Europe have. Unlimited, Untimed and UnEircommed.

I mean €55 for a 2mb line is extortionate, Bulldog Broadband in the UK offer an 8mb product for
for less than €27pm (£17.50) unlimited usage no caps timers or anything.

A comparison of irsh BB rates can be found here ex vat prices
http://www.getbroadband.ie/

On top of this we have the highest line rental rates in europe
Can be seen here
http://www.ripoffireland.org/

It is time Eircom got off their arses and became competitive.

SkepticOne

I think it is a very clever move on the part of Eircom. Of course what is good for Eircom is not good for the country.

Basically ,if Eircom are going to offer a cheaper priced DSL, then it makes sense that they cripple it in some way otherwise people will ditch the more expensive offering for the new cheaper one. Less money for Eircom.

Time-based metering makes sense because, as McRedmond said, people understand it better than other forms of arbitrary crippling, and also it nullifies the benefits of VoIP.

If you want VoIP and always-on (as many do) you get to pay more to Eircom. Which is great for Eircom.

People will still go for this even with its crippling. Remember, in most parts of the country, Eircom is the only game in town. My next door neighbour recently asked about broadband. All he wanted was to be able to download emails quicker. His friends sent him emails with huge video and image attachments. He is not the sort of person that would spend time at the computer though so he would probably go for this in the absence of any other options.

The rule of the monopolist is extract from each segment whatever you can get. Eircom are the masters of this.

I think for understanding Eircom two facts are important:
1. Eircom always try to make as much money as possible for as long as possible (like any company).
2. There is very little proper competition in the Irish market. What counts as competition is often just reselling.

WILKEL

I think everyone should leave Eircom regardless of weather they save money or not (chances are they will) - I have had nothing but trouble with them in business and personal dealings for years - their customer service is a buck passing merry go round joke of being passed from person to person and waiting for ages on the phone.
Since I left for UTV(broadband and telephone) I have been rang 3 times by Eircom reps looking to take my business back but the conversation gets terminated really quick when they ask my last utv telephone bill for calls - 7cent - in fairness we are not in the house during the day and phone usage is free at night, but is sickens them to hear this.

- sorry for going off topic - but I hate Eircom !!

airetam_storm

WILKEL wrote:

- sorry for going off topic - but I hate Eircom !!

Well said...!

I havent looked at this thing really but wouldnt it be good for people who wouldnt go online for long periods?

byrnenj

I can understand people being annoyed at eircom but it seems that no matter what they do everybody slams them. I think this is a good idea. Not everybody needs to be connected 24 hours a day, some poepl just use the internet to check some email or book a flight on ryanair etc. They're not downloading a huge amount, maybe the odd MP3 or attachment to a mail.

Eitherway, doing this on Broadband makes their life a little less stressful! Dial up is antique. Ideally everybody should be on BB. This is one way for the not so frequent users (i.e. people who don't use this site) to have access to BB.
Boards is a loud voice for the development of broadband but there are a huge amount of people out there who have different internet needs, don't need it "always on", who don't have a voice!

Anyway, that's my 2 cents! As I said in my previous post, It a step, maybe not directly forward, maybe a little to the side and a little forward, but it gives people choice, and I think that's what matters! No doubt this will encourage the other ISP's to offer more / similar / alterniative products too.

Oh, one last thing, the turning off the connection question above would work this way: If you look at the modem on the netopia website it seems to be a USB dongle style thing, so if you turn off ur PC, your modem is also powered off!

WellyJ

So you can only have your PC powered on for 20 hours per month?

Deadwing

byrnenj wrote:

I can understand people being annoyed at eircom but it seems that no matter what they do everybody slams them. I think this is a good idea. Not everybody needs to be connected 24 hours a day, some poepl just use the internet to check some email or book a flight on ryanair etc. They're not downloading a huge amount, maybe the odd MP3 or attachment to a mail.

Eitherway, doing this on Broadband makes their life a little less stressful! Dial up is antique. Ideally everybody should be on BB. This is one way for the not so frequent users (i.e. people who don't use this site) to have access to BB.
Boards is a loud voice for the development of broadband but there are a huge amount of people out there who have different internet needs, don't need it "always on", who don't have a voice!

Anyway, that's my 2 cents! As I said in my previous post, It a step, maybe not directly forward, maybe a little to the side and a little forward, but it gives people choice, and I think that's what matters! No doubt this will encourage the other ISP's to offer more / similar / alterniative products too.

Oh, one last thing, the turning off the connection question above would work this way: If you look at the modem on the netopia website it seems to be a USB dongle style thing, so if you turn off ur PC, your modem is also powered off!

Hear hear. When you think of the service in that respect, for people who dont need to be always on, but do need to maybe get large emails, or get the occasional mp3 its a good idea. Noones forcing you to buy it, its not like its gonna become standard package. I wouldnt use it, thats for sure, and i do think eircom are a rip off, but the way some people are reacting youd swear eircom jsut f*cked thier sister and posted the videos on the net

Creamy Goodness

i still don't think it's a good service after reading byrnenj's post.

when broadband was first released it had two major selling points.

1. up to 10x faster.
2. ALWAYS ON

these selling points are true throughout the world, the fact is that eircom are the first that i have seen to change them factors.

Tar.Aldarion

idiots...sheesh...

SkepticOne

byrnenj wrote:

Boards is a loud voice for the development of broadband but there are a huge amount of people out there who have different internet needs, don't need it "always on", who don't have a voice!

I agree that many people here won't be particularly interested in this product. I also agree that the product will sell to these people who don't want "always on".

What I think is interesting, though, is that there is very little cost justification for Eircom in limiting users in this way. The sole purpose of the time limitation appears to be to make the more expensive "always on" services seem more attractive by comparison.

This is not a criticism of Eircom. For me it is a classic illustration of the fact that there's still nowhere near the sort of competition that you see in other countries. In the absence of this competition Eircom disables services in various ways in order to protect revenue from more expensive services without these artificial limitations.

damien

Deadwing wrote:

Hear hear. When you think of the service in that respect, for people who dont need to be always on, but do need to maybe get large emails, or get the occasional mp3 its a good idea. Noones forcing you to buy it, its not like its gonna become standard package. I wouldnt use it, thats for sure, and i do think eircom are a rip off, but the way some people are reacting youd swear eircom jsut f*cked thier sister and posted the videos on the net

The product is crap. The product is 20 hours for 20 quid. That's not good value. The standard price for DSL in most countries now is $30 which is about €25. eircom are giving you 20 hours for 20 and then they'll fine you for going over so that you could be potentially be paying up to €50 yet the same always on product is being sold for €29.99

Every study on broadband usage has shown that when you start using broadband your time online increases. Punishing people for staying online is just hideous and nasty. They should be marketing a product that is based on what you download not time online. A small cap €15 a month product than if you go over your cap has you throttled.

bk

byrnenj wrote:

I can understand people being annoyed at eircom but it seems that no matter what they do everybody slams them. I think this is a good idea.

I disagree with you for a couple of reasons:

1) For Eircom this service will cost almost exactly the same as standard DSL, they still need the DSLAM and backhaul. So the only reason for it is to attempt to justify the high price of their standard DSL.

2) Most other DSL operators around the world charge €20 - €25 for their entry level always on BB. It is now obvious that Eircom could also charge this price for entry level "always on" BB (see point 1) however they want to artifically keep the prices inflated, this shows that Eircom continues to have a monopoly. This product simply would not be possible if true LLU was available.

3) Even if many people aren't heavy downloaders or use the net much, it still doesn't justify paying €20 - €25 for such a crippled service. Would you honestly advise anyone to go for this product over NTL's 1m Always On service for €25?

4) This will confuse the market, one of the benefits of BB is that it is "Always On", it is often sold as such, this will now create confusion amongst users and it is a return to the bad old days of clock watching.

This is definitely not a step forward, NTL 1m for €25 is a step forward, this is a big step backwards.

I'm actually really surprised at this move. Eircom needs to do this because they are not going to be able to reach their take up goals with the €40 product, as I said in the past, mainstream consumers just don't want to pay that much. However this definitely isn't the answer and personally I don't believe that it will do very well or that it will help them reach their goals.

Also I'm surprised because NTL is really speeding up its rollout, all of Galway and Waterford by the end of the Summer and supposedly all of Dublin by end of year. They are going to offer massive competition to Eircom by the end of year and IMHO it will really hurt Eircom. Nevermind Smart, LLU, IBB and Clearwire, the competition is really heating up and Eircom have basically handed them all a big present.

I predict that Eircom will drop this product by this time next year, and will introduct an entry level product 512k/1m always on for €20 - €25. This product simply cannot exist in a competitive market.

niallb

Hmmm,
When I first looked at it, I saw 4¢/minute after 20 hours,
and though of bills of up to €1,500 for a month.
I find even that hard to run up on ISDN.

This is no extra choice for those of us who can't get broadband
- it's simply the same product crippled, no longer range or other option.

However, now I see they've said the overspend will be capped at €50.

Don't look at it as 20 hours for €20:
This is their first offering for €50/month with NO download cap.

Anyone upset by Eircorn dropping the cap to 8G should sign
up and abuse this product instead!

NiallB

Solair

Surely it will COST them signifigant amounts of money to implement a billing / control system that will actually know how long people are connected for ...

I can foresee a LOT of disputed bills too as people will have all sorts of problems with computers and routers connecting and remaining connected for long periods of time at 4 cents per min for a month you could get one MASSIVE phone bill!

Very stupid product!

Well done to the mean asset sweating accountants at eircom! clap!clap!

If they'd just drop the entry level price to make it interesting, more people would take it up!
Sounds like a copy of BT (UK)'s "Broadband Basic" crippled product which only has a 1GB download cap!!! for a rather painful £17.99/month.

SkepticOne

I don't think this is a stupid product from Eircom's point of view.

What Eircom are trying to maximise is not overall DSL numbers (their propaganda might make you believe otherwise) but revenue from Internet use. That is what their shareholders care about. It doesn't matter if only a handful of people take this up. It is new revenue from little or no investment.

If they lowered the entry level product then they would get an increase in take up but this might not be sufficient to compensate for the loss in revenue per subsciber.

Eircom have about 120,000 paying 39 to 55 euros for DSL. These are likely to be heavier 'early adopter' types. Lets keep these people paying the high prices and go after the 'late adopter' types.

Therefore design a product that will be deliberately unattractive to the first 120,000 so they stay paying 39 to 55 euros and see what you can get out of the late adopters, the people who spend a couple of hours a week answering email and for whom "always on" is not a particular draw.

I agree with BK that it means that Eircom still consider themselves a monopoly and are acting accordingly. However I think this product is partly to do with Eircom anticipating future competition which is on its way.

By offering this product Eircom get the reel in extra customers without compromising revenue on more expensive products. When (and if) competition eventually does appear, they can relax the time constraints. The hard bit of acquiring these customers has already been done. They will have done it in advance of the competition while hanging on to existing revenue.

Anti-competitive? Yes, but the regulator will probably allow it because they are under a ministerial directive to get broadband numbers up. Overall bad news for consumers in the long run and band news for the development of much needed competition in Ireland, but this is not Eircom's problem.

Competition will eventually appear and prices will eventually come down, but this move allows Eircom to hang on to profits for that much longer which is what it is all about for them.