ITG accuses Telecom over phone delays

Telecom Eireann has allegedly obstructed the development of Independent Telecoms Group's (ITG) street payphone market by delaying the installation of lines.

Mr John Nagle, chief executive of the specialist telecoms group, claimed yesterday that, while the company would be concentrating in the coming year on integrating its acquired companies - which now includes the Telephone Company of Ireland - it had been "obstructed" by Telecom Eireann in getting new payphones operational.

The allegations were refuted by Telecom Eireann yesterday. A spokesman for the company, Mr Gerry O'Sullivan, said that there had been problems with plant (cable) provision in the past 12 months. "The implication that we are deliberately trying to obstruct a competitor is one that we completely reject," he said.

Mr Nagle said that the company had 71 street sites with 2 payphones on each site, but they were waiting for lines for 16 of those sites, or 32 telephones. This amounts to 22 per cent of its current potential on street phones. "We are now at a stage where we are waiting for lines for 182 days in Dalkey and Blackrock from Telecom Eireann," he said. He said ITG now had a 23 per cent general payphone market share, following the purchase of the outstanding 80 per cent of TCI for about £3.5 million. TCI, which was controlled by a Galway family, has 500 telephone sites in private locations around the State.

Mr O'Sullivan said the plant shortage had affected the Dalkey/ Blackrock area, and all customers, both business and residential had suffered.

He said that Telecom had a competitors' charter "designed to ensure that we treat competitors as customers, and with respect in that regard".

Mr Nagle added that he had made a complaint to the Director of Telecommunications Regulation, Ms Etain Doyle, about the provision of phone lines in Temple Bar. ITG had waited for five months - from January to June - to get in Temple Bar "while they were installing phones".

He believed other industry operators had not taken "a broadside action" against Telecom Eireann because of fears of "an impact on delivery of their service".

He said that ITG now had almost 2,000 payphones in Ireland, in hospitals, shopping centres, Dublin Airport and on street locations. ITG also has a contract to supply the telephone network for the new television station, TV3. The company raised £15.4 million through a placing of 750,000 offer of 4,769,138 new ordinary shares for 270p sterling (323p).