Daily Digest 2 September

02-09-2008

by Deirdre McArdle

Eircom price cut to boost LLU market? | Pay-as-you-go iPhone 3G on way

Eircom has revised its Access Reference Offer (ARO) price list relating to Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) ancillary charges. The move, which follows a review by ComReg of Eircom's pricing, will result in reductions of up to 65 percent of the main ARO charges. Ancillary charges include survey-type charges relating to collocation as well as connection-type charges for LLU and line share. In lowering these fees, many of the costs associated with LLU are reduced. This is good news for alternative operators such as Magnet Networks and Smart Telecom who are rolling out LLU products. ComReg chairperson John Doherty has welcomed the move by Eircom and said the price reduction should encourage competition in the LLU market. The revised charges will be effective from 1 October. The move follows ComReg's recent decision to set aside a directive to Eircom to lower its line share pricing.

Apple's iPhone 3G will soon be available to Irish consumers on a pay-as-you-go basis, with O2 Ireland confirming the plan is to be introduced here soon. "O2 in Ireland is currently working on making the iPhone 3G available to prepay customers and we hope to be in a position to give more details in the coming weeks," a spokesman for O2 Ireland told ENN. While there is no details on when it will launch in Irish stores, in the UK O2 has announced the pay-as-you-go iPhone 3G will be rolled out on 16 September. From then, an 8GB pay-as-you-go iPhone 3G will be available for STG349.99 and the 16GB version for STG399.99.

In more news from O2 Ireland, the operator has said it is to offer a 30-day contract for business or retail mobile broadband customers who do not wish to commit themselves to a longer agreement. The 30-day O2 Clear Broadband contract is available for EUR30 per month with a 5GB data allowance. A 12-month contract costs EUR25 per month with a 7.5GB data allowance, while its 18-month deal costs EUR19.99 per month with a 10GB data allowance. O2 Ireland claims the move will increase competition in the mobile broadband market.

The Irish Courts Service has announced the implementation of a video conferencing system from business communications provider Damovo, at a cost of EUR1 million. So far, the system has been rolled out to over 20 courts including those in Dublin, Bray, Cork, Limerick, Castlebar and Tullamore, with more courts expected to follow this year. Under the deal, video conferencing systems have been placed in dedicated witness rooms so that vulnerable witnesses can participate in court proceedings by giving their evidence from outside the courtroom. In addition, live court proceedings can be instigated between courtrooms in Ireland and a number of countries worldwide. This could be helpful to Irish people who need to testify in cases overseas, for example. 'Evidence racks' have been set up in designated courtrooms, which include built-in PCs, laptop connections, and play-back facilities for a full range of VHS, DVD and online video services. This means Gardai and solicitors will be able to show video evidence such as CCTV footage, without the need to bring their own equipment.

Nominations have opened for the 2008 it@cork Leaders Awards, which will take place in the Clarion Hotel in Cork City on 23 October. The awards are divided into four competitive categories this year: Emerging Company, High Potential, R&D Project, and IT Department. A fifth award, the Education Award, will be given on the night to acknowledge the work of an individual or project in promoting IT in education. There are plans to make this a competitive category next year. For more information on the Leaders Awards or to make a nomination visit www.itcork.ie. The closing date for nominations is 23 September. it@cork is a non-profit organisation representing the interests of IT professionals in Cork.

eTrip Services Ireland has announced it is to roll out its 'Call and Go' tag, which will enable users to pay toll fares or parking fees without the need for cash. The tag fits on the inside of a car's windscreen and is available to buy in over 150 shops around the country, including Tesco and Topaz. The 'Call and Go' tag will allow users to pay their toll charges electronically, as well as their parking fees for car parks such as St Stephen's Green and the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and Grand Parade and City Hall in Cork.

Networking software firm Novell has signed a distribution deal with Irish storage and digital consumer product distributor CMS Peripherals, which will see the Irish firm offer Novell's portfolio of products and services throughout Ireland. Novell said the deal plays a strategic role in its growth plans for Ireland. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.