Newsbits

dahamsta

ElectricNews.Net

The Sunday Business Post reports that Esat BT is hoping to offer a flat-rate Internet access product by the end of the summer at a monthly fee of less than EUR30 if Eircom agrees to a EUR20 wholesale rate. The paper also reports that Hutchison Whampoa has ruled out purchasing Ireland's third mobile operator, Meteor, as a means of giving itself a head-start on building its 3G network here.

The same paper says that telecoms regulator Etain Doyle will be part of a three-person commission in a new telecoms regulatory body that will replace the ODTR. The decision of the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Dermot Ahern, was announced in advertisements seeking applications for the two other seats on the commission. The new commission will be responsible for regulating and licensing the electronic communications sector, regulating the postal sector and managing the radio frequency spectrum. The announcement of Doyle's appointment put an end to speculation about her future, as it had been thought she might have to apply for one of the posts on the commission in open competition.

Mixie

Is this *real* flat rate , or a similar service to the ones listed elsewhere on this forum (i.e. buy hours in advance)?

<edit - found link>

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=58846

</edit>

Urban Weigl

This would be real flat rate. Not that it matters though, seeing as it's not available yet. And judging by how the irish government and eircon have been dragging their feet, won't be for a long time.

Digi_Tilmitt

The way eircom and the government have carried on over the whole issue of internet access has destroyed the tiny bit of nationalism that i had managed to hold onto. The second i get an education under my belt i'll just move away from this shíthole because we still won't have flatrate dial up by then. I remeber telling myself this time last year that by this time next year this mess will be cleaned up and the cycle of empty promises is still here. Nothing has changed the cycle went on

PS: i movin to japan, yay!

Canadian

You should move to Hong Kong. There, two competing cable companies offer 8 MB/sec internet access for between 35-45 EUR/month. This is in addition to 3MB/s ADSL from the phone company.

Not everything is different tho - the government is corrupt there too. (albeit much better at planning)

Fallschirmjager

LOL -- i could do with that type of corruption!!!

pork99

Not everything is different tho - the government is corrupt there too. (albeit much better at planning)

FF + PDs = corrupt and incompetent

and the big joke is we voted them back in!

Canadian

Not being Irish, I can't vote here.... but I did answer the door a couple of months ago during the election.

The only question I had for yer-man was 'Why is it so hard to get on the internet here?'.

He looked at me like I was crazy and insisted that Ireland was an eCommerce Hub.

It was the same sort of look the guy at the hardware store gave me when I asked for an airator for my kitchen sink tap. (Standard equipment in the developed world)

Sad thing was I think that he actually believed it.

TomF

So, no aerator at the hardware, eh? I was surprised to learn the same thing in February, 1997 and had a friend buy one in Nebraska, but then found I couldn't screw it into the kitchen faucet. (Don't forget to only drink the water from the kitchen sink faucet...the water to the other faucets might come from a tank with a dead crow floating in it!)

_Kaiser_

Originally posted by TomF
So, no aerator at the hardware, eh? I was surprised to learn the same thing in February, 1997 and had a friend buy one in Nebraska, but then found I couldn't screw it into the kitchen faucet. (Don't forget to only drink the water from the kitchen sink faucet...the water to the other faucets might come from a tank with a dead crow floating in it!)

It's amazing what you can learn in just a few minutes surfin the web!

But back to the topic at hand - REAL (24/7 or off-peak? Tho admittedly I'd gladly take either at this stage) Flat-rate is somethin I'll GLADLY sign up for - price is fairly reasonable too I'd have to say.

Canadian

Before you think this is off topic, read it thru...

I too heard the same thing about other taps in Irish Homes - apparently the water pressure is so low, that a cistern has to be used in the attic as the main line can't be trusted to supply water during peak demand times. It's these cisterns that animals can die in... This also explains the seperate (and dangerous) taps for hot and cold water. Pressure is not equal, so flow cannot be combined.

This is ironic, becuase you could say the BANDWIDTH of the WATER PIPES here don't have enough capacity to serve the demand.

Roads here suffer the same problem. Even new ones - The new Port Tunnel is not high enough for European Standard Trucks.

This doesn't explain the lack of aerators tho - I'm still trying to figure out that conspircy...

spongebob

....do Canadians keep cows in the attic.

Do tell.

M

Canadian

Yes, of course!

You dont' think I would force an Elephant in the attic - it wouldn't fit - and that would be cruel.

MDR

Roads here suffer the same problem. Even new ones - The new Port Tunnel is not high enough for European Standard Trucks.

First off we are using the second biggest drilling machine in the world to build this tunnel, so getting a bigger one to acomadate oversized trucks is going to be difficult.

Secondily, the actual precentage of trucks in real terms that the tunnel can't accomadate will be quite small. Can I refer you to the City Council PRESS RELEASE - 14th January, 2002 .

There is alot of spin grown from natural Irish sceptisism, pessimism etc, I would be more selective about what I belive.

MDR

The second i get an education under my belt i'll just move away from this shíthole because we still won't have flatrate dial up by then.

Did this ****hole pay for your education buddy .... ?

Fair enough you have a problem with no provision of flat rate, that is a bug bear we all share on this board, but I feel the language you use is a wee bit too strong.

Canadian

Back to the original topic of flat rate internet for just a sec...

Eircom currently takes about 40 Euro/month off me for my level of usage (this does not include their 18 Euro ISP charge)

Why whould they offer to lose this to Esat for 20 Euro/month? I would imagine they will fight this tooth and nail (as any self respecting company should).

Only possibility to force them to play fair is government intervention -- and the talk:walk ratio here is pretty low.

Having said that, I desperatly hope I'm wrong.

Fallschirmjager

LOL

ok, can all the dope smokers here stand up


exactly as i thought...you are all so ****ed up on drugs you dont understand the topic...

now cows in a cistern...LOL i am going to use that as a complain from now

FFS...cows in a cistern...batman what was that!!!


on the topic...flat rate my arse...speed is what we want


feed a man 56K and you make him staup all night
teach him the wonders of adsl and he will stay up the rest of his life


CANADIAN>.....YOU HAVE A LOT TO ANSWER FOR -- LOL

MDR

Only possibility to force them to play fair is government intervention

From what I understand Government has been exacting a fair amount of pressure upon the Telco to deliver on a better internet access product. Although certain operator (s) do consider themselves above bowing to government pressure, I hope in time the Communication Bill will be used to bring those organisations to heel.