eircom to invest USD79 million on core network upgrade

Irish incumbent fixed line telco eircom is spending USD78.9 million over the next three years to upgrade its core networks. The move is designed to meet growing demand for high speed internet access from its customers and to lay the foundation for the introduction of advanced services such as IPTV. The operator’s new owner, Babcock & Brown, says that phase one of the rollout will see the upgrade of the entire core backbone network running back from its local exchanges to its central facilities. The investment will enable broadband access to 240 telephone exchanges throughout the country representing all locations with over 2,000 lines, and serving around 1.3 million of the incumbent’s 1.6 million customers.