DUBLIN: This morning Eircom reported that 1.2m homes and firms are now connected to the company’s fibre broadband. That figure could have read 1.3m homes and firms if not for a dispute between operators.
Approximately 100,000 homes and business in regional towns across Ireland are currently being denied broadband speeds of up to 100Mbps due to a dispute between Eircom, BT and ComReg.
The dispute centres on the location of the new fibre-to-the-cabinet boxes that make speeds of up to 100Mbps possible.
Operators like BT are complaining that locating this equipment in exchanges rather than on streets where space is at a premium is causing signal interference and therefore affecting other providers’ ability to serve customers nearby.
We hope that it is going to be resolved quickly,” said Richard Moat, CEO of Eircom.
The technical issues are under examination. We would have 100,000 customers connected to fibre broadband immediately if this were resolved.
“Whether it’s customers of Eircom retail or our wholesale partners these are homes that could be passed and I hope it doesn’t run on and on. It is in the interest of those customers that we hope it gets revolved soon.”
A spokesperson for BT Ireland said: “It is important to clarify that this is not just a BT issue. This issue will affect Eircom’s own existing customers, and the customers of other operators. The technical practice that Eircom is seeking to do was banned for many years by international standards and authorities, but is now allowed with appropriate safeguards.
Thankfully there are tried and tested safeguards in other countries that Eircom can consider, and the communications industry is pushing to quickly agree those safeguards for Ireland. If we get this wrong thousands of existing Next Generation Broadband customers could see a significant reduction in their broadband speeds.
