Eircom to invest in trials of ‘ultra fast’ broadband
EIRCOM PLANS to invest €20 million on “ultra fast” fibre broadband trials in Sandyford, Co Dublin, and Wexford town next spring.The trials will be available to about 10,000 residential and business customers. [...] Independent consultants have indicated that such a network could cost €2.5 billion.[...]
Mr Donovan declined to be drawn on how collaboration between the telcos might operate and stopped short of calling for financial support from the State. He said it made no sense for telecom operators to build competing fibre infrastructures in a market where revenues total €4 billion a year and are in decline. [...] Eircom last week briefed 50 executives from 12 telecom operators about its plans. It said six of the groups expressed an interest in participating in the fibre trials.
Vodafone, Ireland’s biggest mobile operator and a large player in the fixed-line market, said: “Eircom presented an outline of their proposed trial to industry last week and asked for a consultation period with operators to look at how it could potentially work in practice. At this point, it is too early to say how we may or may not progress.”[...] The trials will offer broadband speeds of up to 150MB/sec. Eircom said this would allow for “lightning speed” broadband.
by CIARÁN HANCOCK, Business Affairs Correspondent, The Irish Times, Wed. June 16 2010
