Posted: 04th Mar, 2003 By: MarkJ
Having only just set one of the lowest prices for unmetered dialup, Irelands incumbent operator Eircom is now under pressure to make a similar move with its broadband xDSL services:
In a new research note, Current Analysis has said that the dial-up flat-rate service would finally help increase Ireland's Internet penetration rate. But it stressed that the offering was extremely overdue, and that the real priority now is for Eircom to meet the demand of customers who want high-speed Internet access using DSL.
Sandra O'Boyle, analyst with Current Analysis and author of the research note, said that FRIACO will not last as long in Ireland as it has in other EU countries
"Eircom has found ways to frustrate the process and slow things down," O'Boyle told ElectricNews.Net, pointing to two major issues -- the expansion of DSL enabled phone lines and the cost of DSL. Eircom charges retail customers around EUR100 per month for DSL access, and it is only available in select Irish cities where telephone lines have been DSL enabled.Turn the clock back a couple of years and the
ElectricNews item may suddenly appear familiar to UK Internet users.
Apparently Eircoms promise to cut its DSL rate for retail customers to EUR45 in March has yet to materialise.