|
The seminar, "Getting Connected in Ireland - The leased lines reality for customers and operators" was organised by ALTO and had as its speakers the Telecoms Regulator Etain Doyle, Iain Osborne, head of telco procurement at Ebone and chair of the leased lines working group of ECTA, Nicky Brennan, chairman of the Telecom Users Group, Ann La France, chief international regulatory counsel of Worldcom and Molly Shields, managing director of NewTel Communications.
Iarla Flynn, chairman of ALTO (Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators) said that "it beggars belief that in the year 2001 it takes on average 60 to 90 days to get a simple leased line connection in this country". He went on to say that in other countries installation is completed in less than half this time.
His sentiments were echoed by Molly Shields, who described as "infuriating and frustrating" having to wait for months on end for leased line installation.
"When you are in a business that works with other countries it is next to impossible to operate if you are waiting on phone lines. Everything, even ordering headed notepaper and business cards is affected," she said.
Iain Osborne said that Europe, and not just Ireland, is under threat due to local broadband "bottleneck." He said that if broadband cannot be rolled out then neither could many e-commerce services and applications, which are vital if Ireland is to sustain a tiger economy.
"This is an issue that needs to be fixed in a connected society that has so many economic and social benefits," he said.
He added that European governments are ineffective in delivering their commitments on this issue.
In an effort to resolve the delays in lease line delivery in Ireland ALTO is calling on the ODTR to publish monthly reports on Eircom's average leased line delivery times to its competitors and separately to its own consumers, and also to take immediate steps to reduce leased line prices to the EU benchmark.
ALTO is the representative association of new entrant telecommunications operators in Ireland.
|
