[31.01.2008 first posted on silicon republic]
Eircom today introduced 10MB and 12MB broadband products and said that customers currently availing of 2MB, 3MB, 4MB and 6MB products will see speeds double to 3MB, 7.6MB, 10MB and 12MB respectively.

Ireland’s communications regulator ComReg also revealed that Eircom has proposed lower wholesale bitstream broadband prices for competitors.
ComReg said in a statement that the pricing schedule for Eircom’s wholesale products has been updated. “The amendments will result in lower wholesale broadband prices for Eircom’s competitors who are providing retail broadband services.
“They will also result in faster broadband speeds for consumers becoming available over the coming months, pending consultation between Eircom Wholesale and other operators availing of the wholesale broadband service.”
Eircom said the new speed upgrades and wholesale price reductions will be introduced on a phased basis over coming months.
According to a ComReg table, wholesale price cuts in the region of 24-30pc will occur in February and March.
After March, under the new scheme, a 1MB connection with a 48:1 contention ratio will cost an Eircom competitor €4.09, a 7.6MB wholesale connection will cost them €11.69 and a 12.2MB connection will cost €34.06.
In terms of the broadband upgrade, more than 240,000 wholesale and retail customers of Eircom will see their broadband speeds increase. For example, a 2MB broadband customer of the company will automatically be upgraded to 3MB, while a 4MB customer will be upgraded to 10MB.
“Eircom is responding directly to customer needs and levels of broadband usage by introducing increased speeds,” said Eircom chief executive Rex Comb.
“Customers are maximising the benefits of their broadband connection through the increased use of online applications such as video streaming, online gaming, music downloads and peer-to-peer applications.
“The introduction of these higher speeds benefits broadband users nationwide and is the next step in the rollout of Eircom’s next generation network (NGN),” Comb added.
By John Kennedy