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The lack of flat-rate dial-up Internet access is actually a step backwards for Ireland, because at the beginning of 2001 Esat was offering its Surf No-Limits flat-rate package, which it discontinued by summer because of overuse.
Meanwhile broadband Net access, which was offered by Formus in 2001 and was supposed to be offered by Eircom, Chorus and NTL by the end of the year, has made no significant in-roads in Ireland. In fact the closure in March of Formus, which offered wireless broadband access, left Ireland with no consumer broadband product and little hope that one would soon emerge.
All of these factors have led to substantial resentment from consumers and SMEs which boiled steadily throughout the year, culminating in a November boycott. A group of Net users led by the pressure group Ireland Offline led a day-long protest at the lack of affordable and high-speed Net access offerings available here.
In truth the statistics do back up their position -- an OECD survey released in November ranked Ireland as a sorry 27th out of 30 OECD countries in terms of broadband development. Only Greece, the Slovak Republic and Turkey came in behind us.
"For the last four years we have been told broadband is just around the corner, but it hasn't happened. It has been incredibly frustrating," commented Adam Beecher, acting spokesperson for Ireland Offline.
In fact Ireland Offline was born in mid 2001 as a reaction to Esat's decision to cancel its flat-rate Internet package, a move that may have been financially appropriate for the telco but that created a wave of consumer backlash that gained momentum throughout the year.
BROADBAND? WHAT BROADBAND?
The progress of broadband access in Ireland has been just as poor as flat-rate access. Broadband is seen as a crucially important technology because it gives users Internet access at speeds far greater than standard modems or ISDN and is considered a necessity for any nation vying to be an e-hub.
But, despite broadband's obvious appeal for businesses and consumers, it was not until September of this year that Eircom finally announced its broadband Internet access service, i-stream. The announcement of the service, which was aimed mainly at large SMEs and corporates, was generally seen as a positive step, despite some complaints that its scope was limited and its price point too high.
But i-stream ran out of steam before it ever came to market due to a dispute with Ireland's telecoms regulator, the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation. The regulator said Eircom's wholesale rates for ADSL were too high, and while both sides say they are determined to reach a resolution, for now i-stream remains on ice.
This set-back has been compounded by the fact that neither of the country's major cable companies, NTL and Chorus, have delivered on their plans to introduce high-speed cable Internet access during 2001.
There was a glimmer of good news in November when Esat said that it had been allowed access to one of Eircom's exchanges in Limerick. According to Esat, it now plans to offer an ADSL service in Galway, Cork and Limerick by March or April of next year. It also said that it was in negotiations with Eircom to get into at least 39 of the incumbent's exchanges placed around the country (but outside Dublin) over the next 12 months.
And of course Ireland is now under pressure from the EU, along with many other member states that have failed to roll-out sufficient infrastructure or to introduce substantial competition in the market. In the waning weeks of 2001 the EU said it would consider a lawsuit to force the issue. The European Commission has also passed legislation which in many ways usurps the authority of national regulators, but which may lead to a more open market for communications companies to offer much needed broadband and flat-rate services here.
These moves, in conjunction with the Communications Bill in Ireland that will give the ODTR real power to enforce its decisions, may lead to a more fruitful 2002 in terms of Irish Internet access.
But don't jump to any conclusions yet; the same promises were made for 2001.
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