Eircom would seem to have the best of it whatever way you look at the new regime on charges for providing enhanced telecoms service to customers.

It has issued a list of charges to Esat Telecom, the one rival looking for access to its lines in order to deliver digital subscriber line (DSL) technology - which would allow operators to provide high-speed internet access - but only on the basis that they are not made public. In fact, Esat is said to be under threat of a fine of millions of pounds if it divulges the details.

It has been widely forecast that the charges will be so high that they will make it effectively impossible to market the enhanced service to private customers, and that they will trigger a legal challenge and possibly a review by the European Union, which is looking for competition and transparency.

So why the secrecy?

It seems Eircom is keen to keep the price under wraps until it has a chance to put together its slate of charges for customers looking for DSL - something that it does not have to make available until three weeks before the product goes live.

So Esat knows the charges and can do nothing about it for the moment and Eircom can maximise its competitive advantage in both the structure and timing of its own offer, knowing any challenge by Esat will take time to be adjudicated.

In the meantime, of course, the customer is kept in the dark.