Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 1563: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the status of the metropolitan area networks; the capital cost of providing them in each case; the number of towns served by a metropolitan area network; the number of them in use; the usage levels and the level of revenues in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33122/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) are high-speed, open access, carrier neutral electronic communications networks, which facilitate competition in the electronic communications market in regional towns and cities nationwide. The MANs Programme, which commenced in 2002, has so far delivered eighty-six optical fibre based networks to ninety-two towns and cities throughout the country.

Phase I of the MANs programme delivered optical fibre based networks to twenty-seven towns and cities around the country. The total capital cost of Phase I of the programme was €85 million (€76m approximately met by my Department and €9m approximately, met by the local authorities).

Phase II of the MANs programme delivered a further fifty-nine optical fibre based networks serving sixty-five towns and cities. The total capital cost of Phase II of the programme was €89.5 million (€80.3m approximately met by my Department and €9.2m approximately met by the local authorities).

The details of the capital cost met by my Department for each MANs project are set out in the tables below. The figures represent 90% of the cost of the MANs. A further 10% was funded by the Local Authority in whose area each MAN was built. Both phases were subject to European Regional Development Funding of either 40% or 50% depending on the region in which they were built.

There are twenty-four active Phase I MANs, with a total of nine hundred and ninety-two wholesale connections. Currently, there are thirteen active Phase II MANs with thirty-six wholesale connections. Discussions regarding wholesale connections to a further five MANs are ongoing and likely to lead to them being activated in the coming months. It should be noted that all connections to the MANs are wholesale connections, which may be used by the relevant service provider to provide services to multiple end users.

All Phase I and Phase II MANs are operated and managed by e|net who were appointed following a procurement process and who make the networks available to the telecommunications sector. e|net is a commercial organisation and information on revenue generated by the MANs is commercially sensitive. A survey conducted by e|net found that approximately 600,000 end users are served by service providers using the Phase I MANs.