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Internet Service Issues

eir is responsible for the maintenance and fault repair of the full eir network. If you have a fault on your line, your service provider must contact eir on your behalf to organise the repair of the fault. Please note that not all service providers use the eir network for example Virgin Media has its own network.

eir is not allowed to prioritise the line faults of eir customers over the line faults of other service providers customers.  eir must ensure that it provides facilities to other service providers customers  of the same quality as it provides to its own customers.

For each individual case, a customer should receive a reasonable forecast date as to when the repair will be carried out. If any issues arise, the customer should proceed with lodging a complaint.

While there is no timeframe for individual customers, eir are required to meet targets set out by us for average annual repair timeframes nationwide.

These timeframes are allowed for under the Universal Service Regulations and the exact figures were decided after a public consultation:

• 80% of fault repairs must be completed within 2 working days.
• 95% of fault repairs must be completed within 4 working days.
• 99.8% of fault repairs must be completed within 5 working days.
• All fault repairs must be completed within 10 working days.

Where the customer agrees a date for fault repair with eir, the performance target is set as follows:

• 95% of fault repairs to be completed by agreed date.

These targets were set as legally binding obligations and non-compliance can result in enforcement procedures and penalties.

Internal repairs

If a fault occurs within your own home, you must normally arrange for the repair to be carried out at your own expense. You can query this with your service provider but you may need to hire an electrician.

Interference

If your service provider believes that there are external factors affecting your telecommunications service your service provider should contact ComReg ‘s Spectrum team directly for investigation at interference@comreg.ie

Internet – Service Issues

We have imposed certain obligations on eir under the Universal Service Obligations (USO). These obligations, amongst other things, refer to the right of each person of the state to a functional telephone line capable of carrying voice and data.

Where broadband is not available through a fixed line, you can consider other options such as mobile broadband, cable broadband, fixed wireless broadband and satellite broadband.

The advertised broadband speed is the maximum attainable speed. It is not a guarantee that you will receive that speed. So if you sign up for 3MB package, you may not get speeds of 3MB/second at all times.

The contention ratio is important as it outlines the number of other customers who may be sharing the same capacity.

If you are experiencing poor broadband speeds, you can always lodge a formal complaint and we can intervene to find out if anything can be done to improve the service. However, it is important to bear in mind that you should not expect to get the maximum package speeds.

Broadband Speeds

The advertised broadband speed is the maximum attainable speed. It may not be guaranteed that you will receive that speed, please always refer to the terms and conditions of your contract where this should be outlined.

If you are experiencing poor broadband speeds you can lodge a complaint with your service provider and allow the service provider 10 working days to respond. ComReg can then intervene after this period to find out if anything can be done to improve the service for you.

A number of factors often determine the quality of a broadband service a consumer will receive including:

• The number of devices connected to the broadband service (for example laptop/ computer/mobile phones/iPads/TV etc);
• Congestion on the line (particularly at busy hour periods);
• The distance from the exchange;
• The processing speed of the consumer’s computer and router or modem;
• The speed of the connection between the computer and modem or router;
• Whether the connection is wired or wireless as this will impact speed even if the other users are not using the Wi-Fi.

 

Broadband Availability

The provision of broadband is not currently a Universal Service Requirement. ComReg cannot insist that any service provider provides a broadband service to a particular location.

ComReg has imposed certain obligations on eir under the Universal Service Obligation (USO). In brief these obligations, amongst other things, refer to the right of each person of the state to a functional telephone line capable of carrying voice and data. The scope of these obligations, however, only applies to narrowband (dial up) connections and the target minimum line speed therein is 28.8 kbit/s (see further information below on Functional Internet Access or FIA).

Where broadband is not available through a fixed line, customers can consider other options such as mobile broadband, cable broadband, fixed wireless broadband, and satellite broadband. Information about various options is available on our Price Comparison Tool.