UPC hooks up to four regional MANs

01-05-2008

by Billy MacInnes

Cable operator UPC Ireland has paid a seven-figure sum to access Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) in Sligo, Portlaoise, Athlone and Carlow.

The 10-year deal struck by UPC and e-Net -- the Irish-owned company that holds the concession to manage, maintain and operate MANs in 27 towns across Ireland -- will give the cable operator extra capacity to provide triple play services to businesses and homes in those areas.

UPC already uses MANs for the same purpose in Cork and Limerick.

Commenting on the agreement, Robert Dunn, CEO of UPC Ireland, said it demonstrated the company's "drive and ambition to stimulate the rollout of advanced technologies to support local consumers and businesses".

He added it would bring increased competition to the four towns, leading to higher broadband speeds at a lower price.

A spokeswoman for UPC told ENN the deal gave the company capacity to grow beyond its main business areas of Dublin, Galway, Waterford, Laois and Cork.

Conal Henry, CEO at e-Net, said the deal with UPC would give businesses and residential customers in the four towns another "high quality" telecommunications option.

"This deal further underscores the importance of the MANs network to the development of the next generation communications in Ireland," he argued. "Already more than 600,000 consumers are using the MANs daily and this deal will increase that number further."

UPC claims that 408,000 homes on its network are now broadband-enabled and 231,000 are capable of receiving triple play -- TV, broadband and phone services. As of the end of 2007, it had 585,000 TV subscribers, 10,400 phone customers and 80,500 active broadband subscribers. Two months ago, it introduced a new residential 12Mb service for customers priced at 40EUR per month with no line rental.

The company operates across 10 European countries and has over 2.7 million broadband subscribers.