Smart Telecom is leaving behind the landline only business. But why? and why are they remaining in the broadband market where they have number portability issues. This has shades of the NTL phone collapse in 2003. A privatised phone system in Ireland is again failing the citizens of Ireland while the copper has been speculated on, over and over, the fat cats have gotten fatter and the availability of modern communication services, regulated at an affordable price is not widely available.
the good news:-
Smart is to offer a 6mbit upgrade (up from 3mbit) for free until end of December 2006 as smart exits the land line only business with no guarantee of service after October 19th. there are free local & nation calls for smart customers until Oct 19th.
the bad news:-
Smart says it wants to be in the land line business but eircom would not except their cheque for an outstanding amount. Smart are to stay in the broadband business, where number portability is not an option with smart, this is possible with BT Ireland but some how smart wont or can not let you keep your own phone number when you move to Smart for broadband.
So smart are exiting (by force) the land line residential market, where number portability was not a problem and competition is great, and smart are remaining in the broadband and land line combined business where competition is less and number portability is impossible. it does not make sense.
sounds like the “apparatus could go on fire” excuse again… this excuse was used by NTL in 2003 & comreg failed to regulate & control the telcos & we citizens were left without a service and like the NTL hot phones citizens are again looking for a new service provider, not because of Smart going out of business, but because smart does not have the staying power to want to compete for our calls.
Smart076 (their VOIP voice over internet protocol service) is to remain unchanged.
[how NTL exited the phone market in south county dublin in 2003 for 10,000 customers.]
see also 03/10/06 dont call us we’ll call you – its a kind of magic
& 19/09/06 its not magic