When e|net and the MANs first came out of the blocks, there were no iPhones and people thought tweeting was what birds did. Equally strange was the phrase – Open Access Networks (OANs). Five years on, the open access model is becoming more the rule as opposed to the exception, certainly in a worldwide context. Here in Ireland, the MANs and the e|net open access model are moving to the centre of the telecoms landscape, as the model and its benefits become better understood.
So what is an Open Access Network?  An OAN allows multiple service providers to have access to, and compete over, the same network. Importantly, this model is totally contrary to traditional operators’ exclusivity of network.
In the case of the MANs, the network is owned by the State, operated by e|net on a wholesale, open access basis, allowing all telcos (currently 35) to utilise the infrastructure and compete for the communications requirements of businesses and homes across regional Ireland.
OANs were first viewed as feasible ways of deploying next generation networks in low population areas where telcos could not obtain a sufficient return on investment. Some call this market failure. Current economics and an unwillingness to invest mean that the case for a genuinely national, genuinely open access fibre network is becoming compelling.
Why? Well, OAN networks stimulate competition. The end user has multiple telcos to choose from, now trying to be service companies as opposed to network companies, vying for their business – this increases the choice of products and service levels offered and, equally importantly, it reduces the costs. All of this has been borne out by our experiences on the MAN project.
Lastly, let’s not forget about the road works, traffic disruption and general inconvenience. OANs allows for a once off fibre deployment which minimises the civil works and knock-on inconvenience and disruption to the locality.
With no single operator prepared to invest what it takes to give Ireland a the Next Gerenartion Infrastructure it needs – we are faced with a stark choice – stakeholders share the burden of building the NGN or it won’t get built and the industry will shrink and Ireland will loose competitiveness. Open access is the obvious way to run a network that is paid for by a number of stakeholders.
