Eircom is to expand its local loop unbunding (LLU) in a move that should make it easier for broadband customers to switch providers.
The new LLU services will make life easier for customers who are with a digital subscriber line (DSL) reseller such as UTV and want to move to an LLU service such as Magnet.
Instead of cancelling their existing account, moving to Eircom and signing up for the LLU, customers will simply be able to move their account to the new operator.
This means that the interruption of service should only be a matter of hours.
"Today is a significant step forward by Eircom to facilitate genuine customer choice. The decision to allow inter-operator migrations has been taken unilaterally by the company in an effort to progress this difficult issue," said Pierre Danon, chairman of Eircom.
The move has been welcomed by lobby group Irelandoffline.
"From a consumer point of view this will make life easier when someone wants to move from bitstream providers to LLU providers, and we support this move, but it is something that Ireland needed in 2001 and we are only seeing now." said Damien Mulley, chairman of Irelandoffline.
However, customers who want to move from resold packages to LLU packages within the one provider will still have difficulty. BT and Digiweb, for example, resell Eircom products in addition to offering their own LLU services.
However, ComReg was less positive about the announcement. "ComReg has consistently pointed out that progress to date, and the pace of it, in relation to Local Loop Unbundling is unacceptable. Today's eircom announcement while welcome is offset by continued delays in other aspects of the product," the regulator said in a statement.
"The continued absence of a fully effective LLU product limits consumer choice, innovation and pricing flexibility. ComReg cannot and will not accept anything short of a speedy and comprehensive solution to all the outstanding issues," it added.
The representative body for alternative operators in the communications market, Alto, welcomed ComReg's comments. "Our members have reiterated time and again the unacceptable progress eircom has made in LLU. The lack of a fully effective LLU product continues to damage consumer choice, competition and innovation in the Irish telecoms market," it said.