Eircom, Ireland's dominant operator, and its competitors have failed to reach an agreement on unbundling the local telecoms loop. With an EU deadline on 01 January 2001, Ms Etain Doyle, Director of Telecommunications Regulations, will have to force legislation through. The outstanding issues include who controls the 'backhaul', or lines connecting Eircom's major exchanges and the exchanges of competitors. Eircom's rivals also wish to share equipment space at the former's exchanges, and want access to SDSL enabled lines. Furthermore, Eircom submitted a wholesale price of Ir£199-£240 per ADSL line installation before monthly charges, while competitors seek a price close to Ir£85 per line.
