The Communications Minister, Noel Dempsey, has said he is not willing to divert money from existing schemes to help Eircom to reach 100% broadband internet coverage.
Eircom had earlier said it could provide broadband availability to 90% of the country by March 2007, but it wants the Government to intervene to include the final 10%, which it says are thinly populated rural areas.
However, Mr Dempsey told RTÉ Radio that he was willing to talk to the telecoms industry about a partnership arrangement for the last 10%.
He was speaking after Eircom set what it claimed was an aggressive target of having 500,000 broadband connections into Irish homes and businesses by the end of 2007.
Last month, Mr Dempsey said the industry should reach the target of 500,000 customers by the end of 2006.
Tonight, he said he welcomed any commitment from the industry, though Eircom's target was not as ambitious as the one he set.
