The Commission for Communications Regulation has instructed Eircom to fix its charges for full Local Loop Unbundling at €14.65 a month. This is a reduction of 13% from the previous level.
Eircom had sought to charge €22 in 2003, while rivals have argued that the price is still among the highest in the euro zone. ComReg said it had fixed the new LLU price in real terms until December 1 2007, meaning it can be adjusted for inflation.
The local loop is the copper connection between a local telephone exchange and a customer's premises. The vast majority of these are owned by Eircom, which is legally obliged to give access to other operators to these loops so that they may provide their own services to customers. This is known as Local Loop Unbundling.
'Achieving the unbundling of the local loop is an important element to facilitating and enhancing competition, particularly in broadband,' commented ComReg Chairperson John Doherty.
'The resolution of this long-standing issue at a price below the one which Eircom challenged last year is important,' he said.
