Comms Noos

dahamsta

http://www.enn.ie/news.html?code=9362456

The [Irish Times] covers a report by Nielsen//Netratings, noted by ElectricNews.Net on Thursday, which says that high-speed Internet access in Europe is continuing to grow, boosted by consumer demand for file-sharing, pornography and music. According to the new study, surfers using fast broadband Internet connections at home grew by 136 percent in the year ending April 2003. Beneficiaries of the boom are entertainment sites, in particular adult entertainment, Netratings said.

The Irish Times also reports that Eircom is threatening to postpone up to EUR1 billion in investment after being told to cut prices by the regulator ComReg. The decision to review its five-year investment plan could undermine the national telecommunications infrastructure, the paper claims. The firm has also rejected a call by ComReg to become more efficient and consider cutting staff.

In related news, the Irish Independent reports that ComReg has asked Eircom to share the costs in the provision of wholesale services to competing operators. Market watchers said that because the decision will mean a reduction of costs to other operators like MCI or Esat BT, it should result in lower phone bills, as savings are passed onto consumers. The new decisions apply to carrier pre-selection, the mechanism whereby a caller can select an alternative operator to route voice calls other than Eircom, and number portability.

Following up on earlier reports, the paper also says that Esat BT is expected to sign an exclusive agreement on Friday to build the first phase of Hutchison 3G Ireland's next generation mobile phone network for IReland, in a deal worth EUR100 million. The agreement, in the form of a memorandum of understanding, or a precursor to a contract, will be signed by both firms. Originally it was believed that the deal would be worth EUR250 million.

Also in the Irish Independent, telecommunications firm Hibernia Atlantic has invested EUR15 million in upgrading its network ahead of the launch of its transatlantic cable system linking Ireland and the North Atlantic. According to the company, it will offer new competitive connectivity rates to businesses that will make it economic for firms to move from a 2Mbps connection to 155Mbps, or STM1.

http://www.enn.ie/news.html?code=9362414

Telecoms regulator ComReg has said that it is satisfied that Eircom complied with a price cap in 2002. The statement followed a review by ComReg of whether Eircom complied with the Telecommunications Tariff Regulation (Modification) Order 1999 during the year 2002. Under the three-year price cap, certain retail prices were reduced by 20 percent in real terms.

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The number of European Internet users with high-speed Internet connections grew 136 percent between April 2002 and April 2003, according to new research from Nielsen//NetRatings. On average, 28 percent of Net surfers in Europe now have a high-speed connection (DSL, LAN or cable modem). The UK had the highest growth rate, at 235 percent. Nonetheless, the study said that the UK, Germany, and Italy -- Europe's three biggest Internet markets in terms of population penetration -- are still lagging behind in terms of broadband uptake, despite their recent rapid growth.