In 1996, AOL launched an always on dial-up Internet product in the US for a monthly fee of $19.99 and enthusiastic surfers rejoiced everywhere. It was seen as a major step – one that would herald the end of squawking modems and excessive phone calls charges for basic Internet access – even on this side of Atlantic. Stateside, the move brought unprecedented success to AOL, allowing it to sign up 10 million subscribers on the back of it and later force BT in the UK to open up that market for similar services within three years.
Flat rate in 2000
In Ireland, we had to wait until 2000 to get the much vaunted and long awaited FRIACO or flat rate dial-up services. Esat BT under ex-Ocean boss Derek Kickham pioneered the service under the brand Surf No Limits but then quickly slapped a time limit on its subscribers and ejected some of them from it, after it realised that regulatory reforms weren’t moving along as quickly as they might have been to make its offering a success.
FRIACO was eventually introduced by the incumbent Eircom and naturally other providers followed suit. In Spring 2003, we got always on residential broadband over DSL for EUR*50 but it was late in the game and Ireland was only one from the bottom of the European league at that stage. All I can say is thank God for the lethargy of the Greeks!
Time based shenanigans
While broadband was slow in coming and that was a disgrace in itself, at least Irish Internet users had now got used of the luxury of an always-on access service that they pay a set fee per month. But in Summer 2005, the service providers have had another great idea that is sure to push us down the pecking order of Internet connectivity again, introducing the concept of time-based broadband connectivity. So while Iceland is planning an economy based on hydrogen fuel cell and fibre optic cables pumped directly into the home, we can look forward to fast Internet access that will be metered as in the dark days of the 90’s. It irks me that one service provider in particular – Imagine- had the cheek to claim that it was offering broadband that was cheaper than anywhere in Europe. The statement carried a large question mark. Certainly EUR*9.99 is not cheap for 20 hours when if a user goes over the 20 hour limit, they incur a change of 3.5c for every minute of usage over and above it. And I am certain that once a new subscriber gets used to all of the great applications for broadband then they will want to spend more than five hours a week online. After all this time-based service model goes against the great utopia that broadband promised – untethered, always on and seamless access to the Web at high speeds. It seems that the time-based model is a cheap ploy by the providers to ramp up subscriber numbers at a time when Smart Telecom’s TV promotions are putting pressure on the other players to hold onto existing- and get more broadband subscribers to sign up.
Birthday wish
PC Live! is ten years old and has borne witness to a remarkable digital decade. This publication will mark this occasion by making a plea to the incumbent and the telcos regulator to innovate in broadband services to allow Ireland to take a lead on a global level rather than allow it to stagnate in the slow lane. BT’s unbundling of the local loop at 40 exchanges around the country since April 2002 shows that some progress is being made, but let’s not stifle this movement to a more open market by introducing more restrictive services that discourage users from logging on and getting online.
Stephen Cawley – Editor
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