Esat BT announces significant domestic investment

Esat BT is being renamed BT Ireland and investing €100 million in its business in the country, the company announced today.

Esat BT is being renamed BT Ireland and investing €100 million in its business in the country, the company announced today.

The money is aimed at providing communications services, including broadband, across the country, the company said.

Bill Murphy, chief executive of BT Ireland, said: "Our transition to BT Ireland signifies our intention to continue competing vigorously across Ireland and around the world and raise the standard of products and services available to both corporate and consumers, enabling Ireland to better compete on a global stage."

Mr Murphy said that the company was committed to broadband roll-out and had plans to extend the company's reach beyond the 40 Eircom exchanges currently "unbundled" for other companies to use.

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"Broadband is at the very heart of the Government's agenda to create a world-class knowledge economy, and we will play our part in support of this imperative through further investment in local loop unbundling," he said.

BT acquired the Esat Group in 2000 and now works with 60 per cent of the top 1000 Business and Finance companies.

The company offers networked IT services to businesses as well as providing phone and internet access for residential properties.

It employs 930 people in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.