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The Director of the Office of Telecommunications Regulation has introduced two additional access codes and number ranges for dial-up Internet access in Ireland.
The lines will offer an alternative to the 1891 access code, which combines a per-minute charge with a monthly subscription. The new framework introduces the possibility of a full flat-rate Internet service in Ireland.
The new codes are 1892 and 1893. The 1892 code is a pay-as-you-go model. This means that the customer will be charged for the telecommunications element of the service, based on time on-line and traffic generated, but the Internet service is provided free of charge.
The 1893 will allow for partial or full flat rate access, including fully unmetered access. The customer will not be charged for time on-line, or for traffic generated, but will instead pay an agreed flat rate subscription fee for its Internet service.
The ODTR is inviting ISP's and telecommunications companies to avail of the new access codes.
"The document allows for the development of a wider Internet framework in Ireland, with more innovative pricing structures, and more choice for the consumer," Brighid Smyth, public affairs manager for ODTR told ElectricNews.Net.
The office laid down the framework after providing a public consultation, which was issued in December, to which eleven organisations responded. These include The Competition Authority, Chorus Communications Ltd., Eircom plc, Eircell, Esat Digifone Ltd. and IBEC.
The ODTR said the majority of respondents believed that the establishment of the proposed new codes would enable the market to develop by allowing different providers to charge different end user prices. They also favoured the introduction of codes that would support subscription-based services.
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