FRIACO - from www.comreg.ie today

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ComReg believes the introduction of a wholesale flat rate internet product will be of considerable benefit for the future development of the internet market in Ireland in addition to being of significant benefit to users. ComReg is dedicated to opening the way for the development of new and innovative internet access models which will further stimulate the growth in Internet usage in Ireland.

ComReg considers the availability of a FRIACO product will help stimulate competition, encourage economic efficiency and provide benefit to end users. ComReg believes that the requesting OLOs are reliant on eircom to provide wholesale flat rate interconnection if they are to offer a similar product at retail level. Failure by eircom to provide such access could potentially have an adverse effect on Ireland standing as a centre for e-Commerce as well as for the future development of the use of the Internet in Ireland. The ODTR has issued codes for internet use and several other papers on internet development and usage.

In June 2002, two other licensed operators (OLOs) submitted Statements of Requirements (“SORs”) to eircom requesting a Flat Rate Internet Access Call Origination (“FRIACO”) service on the 1893 internet access code. From this time until the 28th November a range of private and commercial negotiations on FRIACO were undertaken. However as it became clear that discussions had reached a point where further progress was unlikely to be achieved in any reasonable timeframe, ComReg intervened to establish a forum between eircom and the two requesting OLOs with the aim of expediting the process and ultimately enabling the delivery of the product. The main purpose of the forum was to produce an agreed FRIACO product description.

In light of the increasing demand from users for a flat rate offering for internet access, the contribution this can make to overall economic development and in the interests of developing and sustaining competition in the telecommunications sector, ComReg believed it was more practical and expedient to assist in the introduction of a commercially and technically viable product offering for FRIACO.

Given the importance of delivering a FRIACO product to the marketplace in a timely fashion and to clarify the process going forward ComReg is intending to issue a decision notice at the beginning of January when the last details of the product description should be finalised, and mandating the introduction of a wholesale FRIACO product on a phased basis. Furthermore, ComReg envisions setting dates for the negotiation of terms and conditions and the submission of cost orientated pricing coupled with the processes required to enable a robust wholesale interconnection product.

The objectives of the Commission as specifically set out in S12 of the Communications Regulation Act, 2002, provide the Commission’s objectives in exercising its functions include the following: to promote competition, to contribute to the development of the internal market, to promote the interests of users within the community. The actions being taken on FRIACO are entirely in line with this.

Dangger

Great news! Congratulations to all parties involved!

SkepticOne

Well done to the parties concerned.

ComReg, Nevada, Esat.

And, of course, Eircom

MDR

woo hoo !!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Fancypants

Congrats to IrelandOffLine

Mr E

Happy Christmas to all at ComReg! And well done, IOFFL! Hope you enjoy the holiday season.

Remember that this is only one battle, though - the war goes on.......

- Dave.

Yoda

Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to make this a reality! Especially to Dangger and Xian, sine qua non.

For my part I look forward to the new packages UTV will be able to offer in a new and competitive market.

Glad Yule,
Yoda

Lemming

Ohh yeahhh

Dustaz

Woo Hoo ))

Objective 1's days are numbered


As for Objective 3, see other thread

Tellox

What an xmas pressie! God bless us everyone..
Now if utv offer a non-dc service compatible with ISDN...

Boston

I can remember, way back in the day, talking to dahamsta about this day, and how it would come. Cheers all. About bloody time, and anyone who says this has nothing to do with IoffL's pressure, is a muppet.

the big party is coming, and your all invited

De Rebel

Anybody know what this means

the introduction of a wholesale FRIACO product on a phased basis.

Oh and well done IOFFL

dahamsta

ComReg Documents:

Press Release
Information Notice

adam

SkepticOne

I think it is most likely to be phased at certain levels of Eircom's network e.g tandem exchange level rather than certain parts of the country. Needs to be clarified.

Boston

I think the phased bite means that it will be technically available before it will be actually available. And going on BT, as far as i remember after it was technically available it was just afew weeks before it was available to consumers. If this things isn't just hot air we could see real flate rate sometime in febuary. But somehow i dont think so.

oeNeo

Hurrah!

yankinlk

does this translate to free local calls like in the states? ie if i ring only 061, it is covered under the cost of my monthly rental.

Ruu_Old

Well done all involved

arent we in the phased basis as it now?

BoneCollector

Some people have here have been screeming for broadband rather than friaco (narrowband) but are i think, underestimating the effects of friaco when its introduced.

My opinion (for whats its worth) would be.. if i was to look ahead about 12-24 months, if FRIACO is introduced in jan 2003 at a competative price and this price is as it should be, way below broadband pricing.

The effects should 1st stimulate internet access growth in ireland,
2nd i could see it directly effecting the cost of broadband to force the price down to an acceptable level.
so FRIACO could be the catalist to reducing broadband costs.
why?
I think (without being tecnicaly up on this) that its probably more cost effective in the end to provide ADSL than to allow everyone on friaco narrowband, thus the next step will be to encourage everyone on narrow band to move to broadband, and the driving force will be cost!
if its too high no one will move so it will be in the best interest of all parties to reduce the price of broadband..

thats my 10c worth

SkepticOne

DCMNR also deserve credit here. Making flat-rate an "absolute priority" and other work have helped greatly to focus minds.

Moriarty

Originally posted by yankinlk
does this translate to free local calls like in the states? ie if i ring only 061, it is covered under the cost of my monthly rental.

No, it will mean that ISPs that offer a friaco product will use a phone number such as 1892 123 456. It has no effect on the cost of local phone calls.

Dangger

2nd i could see it directly effecting the cost of broadband to force the price down to an acceptable level.

As Bonecollector said, this will have a major bearing on the cost of broadband also. With flat rate a reality its going to make inroads across the board. Its just not plausible with the introduction of a dial up flat rate product the current extortionate prices for ADSL can be maintained.

Yes it will take time, but at least things are looking up!

PiE

Finally, some good news :]

Well done lads (even if there is still that niggling doubt at the back of my head thats been instilled through years of being buggered by eircom and various other incompetent govt-type people.)

kamobe

WHO said Santa wasn't real? He was even nice enough to give me my pressie a day early this year....

Christmas dinner will be that bit more filling tomorrow knowing my phone bill is soon going to be affordable again

yellum

Adding to what Bonecollector said, friaco will encourage the use of the net without the pressures of worrying about time online and cost.

Without these things holding an average websurfer away they will start to use the net more and more, quickly demanding faster connections as their thirst for knowledge and service grows. Dialup will not do in todays kludgy bloated media rich internet. Just like chips get faster so will the push for quality broadband speeds.

Add things like Metcalfes and Reeds law and the more users interacting without monetary pressure will mean the greater value the local irish net will be as a result. Once Joe Soap "gets " the net Ireland will be the proper E Hub of Europe. ... or something

zynaps

Wheeee, happy Christmas lads
I'll take this news as a present in itself... it's better than the soap I got my cousin, and the facecloths I got me uncle.

Sláinte! Let's hope it gets sorted out and implemented soon... whuppah, and goodbye surf "nolimits"
Maybe I'll even get a separate line for the net, since I won't have to watch for the 8am mark when it works out!

Partay!

zynaps

pork99

before we get into a big circle jerk here girls, has anyone any idea what Eircom are planning to set as wholesale price for this?

could it be set at some offensively take-the-piss level like E60+ per month?

STaN

Originally posted by Dusty Claus
Woo Hoo ))

Objective 1's days are numbered


As for Objective 3, see other thread

which thread?

eircomtribunal

Originally posted by highlight
Failure by eircom to provide such access could potentially have an adverse effect on Ireland standing as a centre for e-Commerce as well as for the future development of the use of the Internet in Ireland. The ODTR has issued codes for internet use and several other papers on internet development and usage.

While the news that we seem to have finally inched our way towards an affordable (?) (we wait with baited breath for a 10 to 20 euro offer) narrowband Internet access mode is of course welcome - I find ComRegs Politbureau-style statement nauseating. They are still in deep denial of reality. And that is not a good position, as Dr. Freud will tell you. "..could potentially have an adverse effect.." "..Ireland standing as a centre of e-Commerce..."

...the submission of cost orientated pricing... [/QUOTE]

Mere cost orientation is not good enough - it needs to be cost orientated as cost of an efficient operator.

BoneCollector

could it be set at some offensively take-the-piss level like E60+ per month?

NopE!

It cant justifiably be introduced with a wholesale price of 60 euro cus its way to close to the wholesale price of adsl.

it will have to match at least, current off peak offerings with the added bonus that you can dial up anytime within a 24hr period.

ando

ComReg is intending to issue a decision notice at the beginning of January when the last details of the product description should be finalised, and mandating the introduction of a wholesale FRIACO product on a phased basis

Ack, It sure is looking better than ever before but I'm still very much skeptical