Irish broadband providers Digiweb and UPC Ireland are said to be close to finalising a deal to bring triple-play video, internet and telephony services to rural Ireland. The Sunday Times writes that the pair are in talks designed to allow UPC Ireland to bundle Digiweb’s wireless broadband product with the cableco’s TV and phone services in areas where cable is not available, for as little as EUR40 per month.
In a separate story, the Sunday Times also reports that Ireland is home to more Wi-Fi hotspots per head of population than the US, Japan, France, Germany or the UK. A survey from the UK telecoms regulator Ofcom found that Ireland boasts 18.3 hotspots per 100,000 people, ahead of the UK in second place with 17.6 hotspots per 100,000 people.