Eleven applications have been made for eight new telecoms licences which will allow operators to transmit voice and Internet services to customer premises without using Telecom Eireann's local network.
The so-called wireless local-loop licences will be awarded in July by the Director of Telecommunication Regulation, Ms Etain Doyle.
In a separate development, MCI WorldCom Ireland, which decided not to apply, has expressed strong reservations about the terms of the licences.
Chief executive designate Mr David Hughes claimed terms as currently set out "do not make commercial sense". He added that awarding eight licences could lead to an oversupply in the market.
He said the requirement for the technology to be offered in at least 15 counties was unrealistic and meant the return on any investment made would be negligible. He said consultants hired by the company had reached the conclusion that the terms were "too restrictive".
There were six applications for four broadband licences and five applications for four narrowband licences. The broadband licences are more suited to business customers and offer faster rates of Internet access, whereas narrowband licences are designed mainly for residential areas.
The applicants for the broadband licences are: Broadnet, a subsidiary of Comcast; Esat Telecom; Formus Communications, an international company specialising in broadband services; Ocean, the joint venture between the ESB and British Telecom; Princes Holdings and Telecom Eireann.
The applicants for the narrowband licences are: Esat Telecom, Formus, Princes Holdings, Telecom Eireann and the Dutch company United PanEurope Communications, which recently bid unsuccessfully for Cablelink.
Ms Doyle said she was "delighted" with the number and quality of the applicants and said when the licences were issued the Republic would be at the forefront of European technology.
She added that the new licences would "facilitate the delivery of high quality telecommunications services to rural areas, particularly those where geography may have previously caused difficulties".
The term of the licences will be for 10 years. Ms Doyle has established a steering group to assist in the evaluation of applications and management of the selection process.
