FFS!!! - eircon ownz ODTR

yankinlk

Im talking about this story in the Independent:

Eircom told: 'Don't change numbers'
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ti=41&ca=9&si=433019&issue_id=4474


DRAMATIC plans by the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulations (ODTR) to change more than 500,000 residential and business telephone numbers throughout the country is completely unnecessary, according to an internal Eircom report seen by the Sunday Independent.

The report, dated February 14 last, says that at present, out of 4.6 million numbers within the proposed change areas, only 2.2 million numbers are actually in use, leaving 2.4 million available.

"As well as directly affecting over 565,000 individual customers' numbers, the changes will also impact on all other customers who need to make contact with them," said the report. "Therefore, virtually every telephone user in the country will be affected. Callers from abroad will also be affected by the changes."

The report recommended that the ODTR should look at freeing up unused numbers, and lengthening subscriber numbers, if it wanted to increase capacity.

The proposed changes form part of a consultation paper published by the ODTR, entitled 'Review of the National Numbering Scheme for Telephony in Ireland', setting out the ODTR's forecasted requirements for additional numbers during the next four years.

In the past, additional numbers have been added to local five-digit numbers to make them six or seven digits. However, the new proposals are for dramatic changes across most of the country.

In total, 43 local area codes are proposed to be changed. These include area codes in Connaught, the Midlands, the North West, the South West, the South East and the South.

The proposed changes include:

* the removal of all four-digit area codes, replacing them with three-digit codes

* the complete removal of all the 07 area codes

* the introduction of eight-digit numbers in Dublin

* the lengthening of five-digit subscriber numbers to six- or seven-digit numbers

* the changing of a number of area codes to different locations. The Fine Gael spokesman on small business, John Perry, said yesterday that the ODTR should rethink its plans.

"This will cause chaos among the business community. Everything from signs on vans to stationery will have to be changed," said the Sligo TD.

"It would also have a huge impact on residential customers, many of whom are elderly and rely on their phones. These numbers and area codes have been in use for up to 50 years in some cases, and any changes should be fully thought through before they are made," he added.

According to the Eircom report, businesses would have to amend company databases, reprogramme equipment, proactively inform all business and customer contacts, as well as absorbing the cost and the inconvenience of the changes.

Eircom controls an estimated 80 per cent of the fixed-line residential business in Ireland.

yankinlk

i am just at a loss...the quicker the deal goes through to get the directors of this cr@p company on a ship bound for timbuktu the better...

do you really think ireland is in good hands with eircon? CHANGING NUMBERS IS PROGRESS!!! they are even sticking their nose into this area now...go on eircon, why dont you go the courts and try and get an injunction to stop the governemnt forcing you to change some g-ddamn numbers.

every country, state, city, that is doing well in teh technology arena has to put up with this kind of annoyance of changing numbers, its a damn fact of life. but it is also good, every damn person has a phone thanks god !!!