ComReg CEO Forum

jwt

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single5495

Elder said Vodafone’s 3G network now covers 65pc of Ireland’s population and that industry and the Government should factor this capability into the objective of having 500,000 broadband subscribers by 2007.

FWIY I think ComReg were as suprised as anyone else at this comment, and Teresa reiterated it several times during her presentation and in the Q&A session afterwards. Although she never once mentioned relative costs, time based approach or in fact anything substantive about the 3G products.

BitBuzz didn't seem too overawed either.

Some other nuggets from the speeches

One panalist suggested that SMP (Significant Market Power) could be replaced with a new method of measurement similar to US Merger policies where regardless of size or influence any company adopting practises that reduced competition would be subject to regulation.

Nolan pointed out that by dividing the whole market up into smaller markets anyone could in theory be a SMP. The converse being that if ComReg treated everything and everyone as one large market the eircom wouldn't be a SMP say in the whole wide world!

Vonage put forward the idea that the physical medium of BB is irrelevant, and that regardless of how you get BB vonage can offer services that beat any fixed line operator.

Tele2 were scathing of the regulation in Ireland, competition in Ireland, line rent, costs etc.

Vodafones presentation was like a 20 min ad for Vodafone, eircom was anti comreg, tele2 were pissed at the whole situation in Ireland, BT seemed to be ultra careful not to rock the boat, and Vonage, well, I could only describe it as " Get the hell out of our way and let us get on with what we do"


John

Mr_Man

that 300k is now going to be included in the definition of what Broadband is?

M.

dahamsta

My invitation must've been lost in the post. I am, after all, a CEO. Chairman too, and CTO, COO, CFO, etc!

cgarvey

Yeah, and does it also mean we can now ignore costs (€89 for 1GB/mo with Vodafone, €768/GB thereafter)? Vodafone is so out of touch with it's pricing! Very much more so than eircom.

.cg

oscarBravo

Ken Shabby wrote:

My invitation must've been lost in the post. I am, after all, a CEO. Chairman too, and CTO, COO, CFO, etc!

I'm just a CEO and chairman

I didn't get an invite either...

Sponge Bob

Voda have been banging on about 3G coverage all over the place recently and have lied about it while they are at it.

http://blogs.msmobiles.com/mobilephonefan/?p=633 a rather spotty Germany

http://blogs.msmobiles.com/mobilephonefan/?p=632 a rather spotty UK, the pink bits are not 3g coverage at all and should not be on a 3G map and the following comment.

Unfortunately this map is lying and when I was traveling between London and Stansted there was no 3G coverage but on this map there is.

Voda do intend to launch high speed 3G (called HSPDA) around europe next year, as do Others , with Ireland pretty much last to be done, maybe 2007 .

Their current offering is 384/64 on a good day and they are therefore not yet a Broadband provider.

Nor do they offer 65% population coverage .