Eircom faces massive legal challenge

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

LFCFan

Wouldn't you just love it! I'd love to see those bastards squirm!

BigEejit

You just know what will happen,

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"because of unforseen circumstances the cost of phone calls will increase to €5 a minute"

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i.e. ordinary Joe ends up footing the bill again

Hannibal_12

I'm not sure what has happened recently but there really seems to be tides of change on the horizon. It may be down to one player (Esat BT) or a combination of IOFFL's hard work (more likely) and a rising realisation on the part of the business and residential community just how bad our internet access is.
I really do hope that whatever legal action taken is successful since they are in dire need of a kick in their arrogant "no interest in broadband" ass.

sax0000

EUR 170 m is nothing compared with what eircom owe internet users for monopolising the loop, inhibiting competition, delaying the introduction of DSL, using extortionate pricing to put customers off adopting DSL, and general timewasting online for the million odd people who use the internet in Ireland on a daily basis. Whose time is worth anything from the minimum wage or thereabouts to several thousand Euro per hour.

Eircom's current shareholders will shortly wish they could swap their holding in eircom with asbestos claim burdened ABB if the company continues to charge two/three times the European average for retail DSL internet access and continues to impose its current traffic limits.

The powers that be might wish to consider what legislation is necessary to appoint an Administrator or Receiver and Manager over any telecommunications network in the State with "significant market power" who might end up on the rocks for whatever reason. The person appointed will need such powers as are necessary to maintain communications services for the country in priority to the rights of other parties whoever they might be.

sax0000

BoneCollector

Sounds very much like micro$oft all over again..

sax0000

Originally posted by BoneCollector
Sounds very much like micro$oft all over again..

Very much so. But while Microsoft have $40 billion in cash in the bank to pay for legal services to fight off complaints from the dissatisfied, eircom have a serious debt problem, in addition to the fact that their website has been off the air for the past two days.


sax0000

segadreamcast

"in addition to the fact that their website has been off the air for the past two days. "

Yes, what the heck is going on there exactly?

I wouldn't go as far as to compare Eircom to Microsoft... honestly, Microsoft aren't that bad.

kamobe

Microsoft compete.

fester

Originally posted by NoelRock
I wouldn't go as far as to compare Eircom to Microsoft... honestly, Microsoft aren't that bad.

LOL Sometimes i agree with you. But it's not like they're evil... they're just incompetent

Fallschirmjager

aaaahhhhhhaaaaaa 3 in a row jesus 3 gut renching painful laughs today

please also read the 'talk to the web' post and the eircon.ie error page


bigeejit -- Sir/Madam you get my vote for the best post of the year


EXCELLENT!!!


and as for the microsoft compete comments...hey Gates stop trolling!!!


LOL

crawler

It will never happen.....Sadly....

Government wont allow it to happen. As most people know eircom is being built for sale in a few years...the Valentia Consortium bought eircom with the purpose of selling it in a booming market with a few bits and pieces bolted on.

Trying to sell a Company with a massive legal action hanging over it is not easy...mind you how any investors out there would put their money into ANY telco at this time?

SkepticOne

Originally posted by crawler
It will never happen.....Sadly....

Government wont allow it to happen. As most people know eircom is being built for sale in a few years...the Valentia Consortium bought eircom with the purpose of selling it in a booming market with a few bits and pieces bolted on.

The Government no longer have a direct stake in Eircom. It was privatised in 1999.

Valentia may request the Government to intervene in some way but it would be pretty suicidal for the government to get involved in a private court case, given that ministers have been forced to resign on lesser issues.

Rez-N-8

I have 3 words to say on this:

DIE EIRCOM DIE!!!!!!!!!

De Rebel

The reality is that the Government could face suicide whichever way it jumps. On the one hand, it must act properly and be fair to all the telecoms players and not intervene in the marketplace in any partisan or improper manner. On the other hand, a significant shareholder in Valentia is also a significant player in a large part of Ireland's Media. However, from the Government's position it is easy to understand their unwillingness to risk offending this major shareholder in anyway, least it give rise to any unpleasantness in later editorials and page one headlines.

To be clear, I am NOT accusing anybody of improper action here. The individual concerned is probably a lot more scrupulous that the majority of us, me included. (And I mean that.) But there is a fundamental danger when a controlling interest in the Media is also a significant player in other areas of society, and in particular where there are sensitive commercial issues. This danger would never have arisen in the telecoms market but for the Government’s crazy decision to sell Eircom in the first place.

With regard to the possible legal action, frankly, I could see the Government joining itself or being joined to the defence on a number of grounds. The case will go nowhere in particular in the Irish hoops. But if there is any evidence it will be taken to Europe and there is every possibility that the case will go against Eircom/the Government. The Competition Commissioner and other involved in this area are quite happy to beat up anything that looks like monopolistic behavior, especially in the smaller countries. Its good PR, adds to the list of accomplishments and threatens the big boys (Germany, France, Italy, Spain and UK) without risking a serious backlash.

Whatever happens, if legal action proceeds, either the Customers of Eircom or the Irish Taxpayer (spot the difference) end up paying. And Customers of Eircom include those who don't dealt directly with the rat, but pay it via Eircom wholesale.

Screwed again!

SkepticOne

Hmmm. As far as I can see, all the government have to do is show that they followed the correct procedure in the tendering process. If Eircom broke the rules by offering "off book" prices, etc., then that is between Eircom and the ODTR/Competition Authority/EU Competition DG and the parties alledging wrongdoing.

BoneCollector

correct me if im wrong.. but how can the government claim they put it out to tender?
when there is only one!? communications company in ireland?
its a one horse race

you cant say the other player where tenders since they purchase from eircom? (or am i going down the wrong path here?)

skrobe

in relation to the 'off book' pricing does this not mean Esatbt, and others, have huge leverage over eircom. Maybe some serious haggeling coming up? Could this be the time for esatbt to 'negotiate', in other words give us 25E flat rate and cheap broadband, or we'll sue!!
j

eircomtribunal

Originally posted by skrobe
in relation to the 'off book' pricing does this not mean Esatbt, and others, have huge leverage over eircom. Maybe some serious haggeling coming up? Could this be the time for esatbt to 'negotiate', in other words give us 25E flat rate and cheap broadband, or we'll sue!!
j

I think the significance of the ODTR's offbook investigation result cannot be overestimated. It left Eircom exposed at a vulnerable time, when the importance of breaking the incumbents stranglehold has finally dawned on our government.
We've an article in our update dealing with the situation eircom is suddenly finding itself in.

Peter

PiE

Sorry, wheres that article on the site? Not on the main page

Found it, update doesn't show up when I click on the link in yer sig, weird ;o