Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 547: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of customers a company (details supplied) has had over the past three years; the locations of these customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10180/08]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Under Phase I of the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) Programme twenty-seven MANs have been constructed. All twenty-seven are operational and open for business in Carlow, Cork, Letterkenny, Gweedore, Galway, Kilkenny, Portlaoise, Carrick-on-Shannon, Manorhamilton, Limerick, Ballina, Kiltimagh, Tullamore, Roscommon, Clonmel, Dungarvan, Waterford, Mullingar, Athlone, Wexford, Dundalk, Drogheda, Carrickmacross, Monaghan, Cavan, Kingscourt and Sligo.

The MANs are managed, maintained, marketed and operated by a Management Services Entity, e|net, on behalf of the State.

Service providers are deemed as "customers" of the MANs. In other words, a Service Provider, as a customer of a MAN, uses the MAN to offer services on to the Service Provider's own customers. 28 service providers are offering services on the Phase I MANs, using them to compete for voice and data services over a range of platforms including:

Unbundled local loop;

Mobile wireless;

Fixed wireless;

Cable;

Partial private circuits; and

Directly connected fibre.