Esat may win DSL race.....(taken from ireland.com)

spanner_head

Taken from todays ireland.com.....

I hope this happens. It would be great!

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/finance/2001/0921/fin164.htm

Esat may win DSL race

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By Jamie Smyth
Esat may be in a position to offer Irish customers high-speed internet services using digital subscriber line (DSL) technology before Eircom, according to Mr Richard Cooke, Esat chief executive.

DSL technology makes broadband internet access available to households and businesses using the existing copper telephone wires that enter buildings.

Eircom plans to introduce its high-speed internet product, i-stream, by October 2nd but may face a lengthy delay due to a dispute with the telecoms regulator, Ms Etain Doyle.

Speaking to The Irish Times yesterday after IBEC's annual telecoms and internet conference, Mr Cooke said Esat planned to offer its high-speed internet service outside Dublin by January. Esat is involved in a fast-track programme with the telecoms regulator and Eircom, which should enable the firm to use the local telecoms network to offer a range of voice and data services.

The company has made good process recently and believes it will succeed in opening Eircom's local loop to competition in a process known as unbundling the local loop, according to Cooke.

"We are fairly optimistic that we'll be able to get out there by January in five exchanges," he said. "We will offer our own DSL and re-sell bitstream DSL Eircom's i-stream product if we can."

Eircom's DSL service faces a lengthy delay because of an ongoing dispute over fees that Eircom wants to charge other telecoms operators to offer similar services.

The telecoms regulator has criticised Eircom's charges because she believes they are not cost oriented and would damage competition in the internet market.

Speculation was mounting among telecoms experts last night that Ms Doyle is poised to issue a pricing directive forcing Eircom to lower its wholesale charges.

An Eircom spokesman reiterated an earlier threat last night that Eircom would withdraw its product from the market rather than offer it to competitors at lower charges. This may enable Esat to introduce its internet product before Eircom.

neverhappen

"We are fairly optimistic that we'll be able to get out there by January in five exchanges," he said. "We will offer our own DSL and re-sell bitstream DSL Eircom's i-stream product if we can."

How are esat offering "their own" dsl, without reselling i-$cream ?

Mountjoy Mugger

http://www.unison.ie/business/stories.php3?ca=80&si=513638

Esat chief executive Richard Cooke told the Irish Independent: "Eircom is trying to protect the last piece of its monopoly and it is a defining moment for the regulator. This is a regulated business, and Eircom has got to provide a margin for wholesalers."

If it were only that simple.

Hecate

that would be LLU.

infomat

I must have missed something here ... how can Esat offer ADSL unless they have access to Eircom infrastructure and if they do not how can they offer a retail service before Eircom can.

R. Daneel Olivaw

Well wouldn't it work that if LLU is complete, ESAT are free to put in their own boxes and stuff at the exchanges, and don't have to deal with Eircom at all for the "last mile" to peoples houses.

Seeing as they did at one stage really try and get things going with SNL, it wouldn't be hard for the same attempt to be made with ADSL, only this time they don't have to pay Eircom per minute of phone line use.....because Eircom are no longer in the equation at all as LLU was not even thought of in 1999 (well it was but this is Eircom).

They could supply reasonable bulk rates of bandwidth for ADSL to consumers. I am really looking forward to the day that I never get any bill at all from Eircom and never again will I pay for bull**** equipment rental, etc., .

Fergus2

This is the kinda thing I was hoping for.. that Esat do use the LLU based on the regulator imposed pricing and put in their own DSL service. Then we could well see real competition at last. The LLU shared line rental is around 5 or 6 euro a month, so there should be plenty of potential for Esat to offer a service as a proper affordable monthly rate.

The message going out from here loud and clear should be to keep well clear of ordering anything ADSL from eircom for now. This is all the more reason to hold fast and see what Esat manage.

I would love to see eircom machine gunning themselves in the foot tieing themselves up in court with the ODTR while Esat mop up the market. Please Esat: FAIR pricing - keep the monthly rate affordable!!

infomat

Originally posted by R. Daneel Olivaw
Well wouldn't it work that if LLU is complete, ESAT are free to put in their own boxes and stuff at the exchanges, and don't have to deal with Eircom at all for the "last mile" to peoples houses.

But LLU has been implemented in such a way that third parties do not have access to the last mile of copper so I still do not understand how Esat could offer ADSL ahead of Eircom.

SkepticOne

Originally posted by infomat


But LLU has been implemented in such a way that third parties do not have access to the last mile of copper so I still do not understand how Esat could offer ADSL ahead of Eircom.

Proper LLU involves the OLO placing equipment in the exchanges and directly accessing the copper local loop. It comes in two forms:

1. Full LLU. Here the OLO controls all services offered over the local loop and
2. Line Sharing. Here the line continues on though the OLOs equipment (e.g. ADSL) and on to the Eircom's PSTN exchange.

Both of these involve direct access to the copper.

They should not be confused with what has been called 'bitstream' or wholesale DSL and which is currently being examined by the ODTR.

Prices for actual LLU were set earlier in the year and are currently being disputed by Eircom in the courts.

R. Daneel Olivaw

Pardon my ignorance, but OLO? Original Line Owner? What is it?

Also, does that dispute regarding LLU, mean that local loops can be purchased outright by another company and Eircom are bitching about losing control? So when you say prices for LLU were set earlier this year is that basically Eircom are just dragging out the inevitable (eventual widespread DSL and flat-rate) to keep getting per minute billing?

SkepticOne

Originally posted by R. Daneel Olivaw
Pardon my ignorance, but OLO? Original Line Owner? What is it?

Also, does that dispute regarding LLU, mean that local loops can be purchased outright by another company and Eircom are bitching about losing control?

Essentially rented from Eircom. Eircom are not publically bitching about it but are taking the ODTR to court over the pricing.

So when you say prices for LLU were set earlier this year is that basically Eircom are just dragging out the inevitable (eventual widespread DSL and flat-rate) to keep getting per minute billing?

I don't know if there is a big queue anymore this point to get into Eircom's exchanges - global recession and all that. It would probably not lead to flat rate 56K in any case, but rather some form of higher value DSL product.

dahamsta

Originally posted by R. Daneel Olivaw
Pardon my ignorance, but OLO? Original Line Owner? What is it?

Other Licenced Operator

adam

Chaos-Engine

The way €ircon r acting. Esaps might just be offering wholesale DSL to €ircon...

Figers crossed LLU gets some progress over anything else