Eircom hikes up line rental


15 Jun 2007

For the first time in three years incumbent operator Eircom has increased PSTN line rental. The company increased rental by €1.18 including VAT- or 4.9pc – but says that broadband prices will be unaffected by the move.

The company claims that despite the increase, the average Irish telephone bill for both business and residential customers remains below the EU average for national and international call baskets.

“Eircom has not increased line rental in over three years,” said Eircom CEO Rex Comb.

“As with any other utility operating in the Irish market we continue to face the challenges of increased business costs, higher wages and the need to continuously invest in our network,” Comb added.

Eircom describes line rental as a contribution to the cost of providing and maintaining the infrastructure connecting each customer to their local exchange.

As a result of the move the average PSTN line rental bill will increase 4.9pc from €24.18 to €25.36 while the average ISDN line rental will increase from €37.50 to €39.34.

By John Kennedy