Eircom is to invest £25 million to develop a broadband fibreoptic ring in Northern Ireland. The company claimed last night that the move would give it access to 70 per cent of its rival British Telecom's customers.
The fibre ring, capable of delivering data at very high speeds, will link into Eircom's broadband network in the Republic and will provide Internet and e-commerce solutions.
Eircom, which set up a Northern Ireland subsidiary in March last year, says it now has 3,500 business customers. It has changed its name in the North to Eircom NI and plans to extend its services to the residential market there.
Eircom chief executive Mr Alfie Kane said the new fibre ring would enable the company to offer a highly sophisticated range of products and services in both the business and residential markets.
Eircom is spending £50 million sterling over five years, as part of its investment plan, which will see employment increase from 100 to 400 people. It will roll out fibre in all of Northern Ireland's sizeable towns and cities.
An Eircom spokesman said the new fibre would increase the existing broadband capacity in the North by a factor of 50. The project involves building 55,000 kilometres of fibre, which will provide 150 gigabit capacity suitable for delivering e-commerce, Internet and digital TV.
Mr Chris Kinghan, Eircom NI chief executive, said the company had seen major changes in customer demands "as new communication channels emerge, even in the short time it has been operating in Northern Ireland".
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