Eircom cuts off Smart services

**Ash** · 03/10/2006, 9:50 AM

Eircom cuts off Smart services due to unpaid �4m bill

More than 40,000 Smart Telecom customers have had their services
cut off as part of a dispute between the company and eircom.

Eircom, which operates the network used by Smart, says it pulled the
plug on most of the Smart service last night because the company
has not been paying its bills.

Full story on www.breakingnews.ie

**dahamsta** · 03/10/2006, 11:06 AM

**gustavo** · 03/10/2006, 11:08 AM

Anything that wipes the smile off Keith Barrys face has to be a good thing.

**max power** · 03/10/2006, 11:13 AM

its not smart its $hite ( ala podge and rodge )

**Ash** · 03/10/2006, 11:49 AM

Will this affect Pats seeing as they are the shirt sponsor?

**BohsPartisan** · 03/10/2006, 11:53 AM

I'd imagine the money for that deal is already in the bank. If Smart fold, Pats will be able to go and get another sponsor so it might benefit them.

**Macy** · 03/10/2006, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by dahamsta

Dempsey appeals on behalf of Smart customers

Laughable. Sell off a state asset, and then look to interfere to prop up one it's fellow private sector competitors.

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

If Smart fold, Pats will be able to go and get another sponsor so it might benefit them.

Not necessarily - didn't Manchester city, very aptly, have to play a season with a bankrupt company on their chest for this very reason? Happened 3 or 4 seasons ago iirc.

**Dodge** · 03/10/2006, 12:12 PM

According to posters on our board we've been paid upfront. Dunno about next year.

**dahamsta** · 03/10/2006, 12:23 PM

The money will have been paid up-front. It's unlikely Smart will be sponsoring anyone next year, as a condition of Brendan Murtagh's investment was that costs be cut in a major way.

adam

**tetsujin1979** · 03/10/2006, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Macy

Not necessarily - didn't Manchester city, very aptly, have to play a season with a bankrupt company on their chest for this very reason? Happened 3 or 4 seasons ago iirc.

Yeah, that was First Advice. When they went bankrupt, Thomas Cook took over as the sponsors. Their logo appeared on everything, programme, all around the stadium, everywhere except the jersey. The reason given for that was that it would have been too costly to have all the jerseys reprinted and sent to stores, and fans would have been up in arms after having to buy two jerseys in the same season. Thomas Cook were due to take over as sponsors anyway, so they got an extra few months advertising out of it.

**Dodge** · 03/10/2006, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by dahamsta

The money will have been paid up-front. It's unlikely Smart will be sponsoring anyone next year, as a condition of Brendan Murtagh's investment was that costs be cut in a major way.

Think when they signed as sponsors it was a 3 year deal, so they might have to...

**dahamsta** · 03/10/2006, 1:14 PM

I doubt they'd pay three years up front to be honest, and if they go bust there just won't be any money to pay with. Somebody should put it to Pats out of interest.

adam

**Dodge** · 03/10/2006, 1:42 PM

Oh they're working on it...

**Aberdonian Stu** · 03/10/2006, 2:14 PM

Story on ENN:
Eircom pulls plug on Smart customers

**pete** · 03/10/2006, 3:06 PM

It would some big smiles around eircom today as they seem to eb always fighting with Smart Telecom. I would guess they just waiting for a chance to put the boot into Smart.

Theres a lot of smaller telecoms companies in this country now which surely cannot continue to be viable. I would guess Smart on their last legs now & going to see more companies go to the wall or sell/merge into others.

**dahamsta** · 03/10/2006, 3:16 PM

I don't understand that logic pete. How does Smart going tits up have a bearing on small telcos, when:

Smart isn't a small telco, relatively speaking; and
Smart is in trouble for one simple reason: massive overspending.

I just don't see the connection tbh. There might be very, very indirect connections, certainly, but the market does not and has never revolved around Smart. Some might say the market would be better off without them, as they took unrealistic enthusiasm to heights previously only seen in the Genesis days...

adam

**pete** · 03/10/2006, 3:39 PM

Badly phrased...

I wasn't suggesting other would fold because of Smarts demise but just that if Smart can't make money then I can't see the small telcos doing any better. These are effectively broadband companies as probably no money in calls.

I know some companies are just eircom resellers but i heard at last count something like 60-70 companies in the broadband market. Companies with a few thousand subscribes can't survive in the long run.

**dahamsta** · 03/10/2006, 4:27 PM

They can survive, which isn't the same as saying they will. Investors these days are greedy, they're not happy with just profits, they want big profits.

Yes, there is a major problem with the - I could be making this up - verticality of the telecoms market in Ireland. The outgoing goverment and their telecoms poodle are 100% to blame. The sale of Eircom as a complete unit is their fault, the failure of loal loop unbundling in Ireland is their fault.

adam