Eircom accepts 3G licence

Irish incumbent Eircom announced Wednesday that it will accept the 3G licence offered to it by ComReg following the regulator’s decision to revoke the licence from Smart Telecom.

Announcing its Q3 results, Eircom said it is on target to reach 500,000 DSL subscribers this year. Ireland has a population of around 4million. Meteor, Eircom’s recently acquired mobile arm, reported 69,000 new subscribers bringing its total up to 819,000.

Eircom chief executive Rex Comb said: “Eircom is delighted to announce its acceptance of the 3G licence offered recently by ComReg on the understanding that the necessary financing arrangements will be in place ahead of 12 March 2007.

“Eircom has repeatedly stated its commitment to provide 3G services in the Irish market and today’s announcement confirms the company’s view that accepting the licence is the best way to ensure that Eircom delivers a high quality mobile offering to our customers,” Comb said.