Eircom embarks on first stage of €1bn upgrade


29 Nov 2006

Incumbent operator Eircom has kicked off its €1bn fibre-to-the-kerb network upgrade with a €10m three-year contract signed with Siemens and ADVA optical networks.

The €10m contract follows an international tendering process aimed at boosting the capacity on Eircom’s existing national network.

“This announcement marks the first step on the road to [Eircom’s] next-generation network (NGN),” commented Eircom chief executive Rex Comb.

“The telecoms environment is becoming increasingly competitive and complex and enhanced customer service is key.

“Eircom’s continued investment will essentially transform the communications services that we offer to customers in Ireland,” Comb said.

Eircom said that the early-stage investment towards its NGN will result in broadband speeds and services of up to 25MB per second.

As a result new services like IPTV (internet protocol television) and video on demand will become a prevailing competitive feature of Ireland’s telecoms landscape.

By John Kennedy