Strencom

Strencom, one of Ireland’s fastest growing providers of hosting and data connectivity services, today announced a substantial increase in its range of services and network speeds through a three-year deal with e-net, the operator of the State’s regional broadband infrastructure via the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs). These new and cost competitive services will benefit all customers and enable the provision of an increased range of fibre-optic based services such as high-speed site to site gigabit connectivity and increased bandwidth. The deal is expected to be worth more than EUR500K over the contract period and the new network goes live today.

The Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) are rings of fibre-optic cable that enable very fast broadband in towns with over 1,500 population outside Dublin. The Government has invested over €70 million to date and is continuing to roll out fibre networks across the country. The MANs are managed by e-net who ensure there is open access to the infrastructure for all authorized operators. Strencom has purchased network access from e-net and this will enable them to rollout and self-manage their own services on the network. These MANs are in turn interconnected nationwide via a backhaul agreement with BT Ireland and ESB Telecoms.

The e-net contract provides Strencom with immediate access to the twenty seven MANs in major towns and cities throughout Ireland, a significant expansion for the company. The increase in services allows Strencom to widen its current broadband and SME customer base and target larger enterprise communications requirements. One of the new offerings available is wholesale collocation for other licensed telecommunications operators that want to establish a POP (Point of Presence) in Cork. Wholesale clients will be attracted by the availability of unused network ‘dark fibre’ capacity, as well as Strencom’s bulk circuits, which can reduce leased line costs by up to 70%.

Tim Murphy, managing director of Strencom commented on the announcement, “As a mid-sized, indigenous telecom operator, we are very pleased that we can now compete with major national and international competitors on an equal, and sometimes superior, footing. We can now provide greater flexibility to our customers as we have our own dedicated network and we are not dependent on other service providers. This allows us to keep ahead of customer demand and add new services as soon as they are required.”

Michael Tiernan, Chief Executive of e-net said: “We are pleased to have concluded this deal with Strencom and look forward to working with them to provide services across the country. e-net is committed to implementing the Government’s policy of ensuring broadband to the regions and deals like this are clear demonstrations of the benefits of the MANs and the potential that exists to provide services.”

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Press contacts:

For Strencom:

Eimear Kennedy

Comit Communications & Marketing

+353-1-4984640

ekennedy@comitmarketing.com

For e-net:

Tom Byrne

MRPA KINMAN Communications

+353 1 678 8330 / 086 810 4224

tom@mrpakinman.ie

About Strencom:

Strencom is one of Ireland’s leading and fastest growing providers of hosting and data connectivity services. It offers two data centres and network presence in locations such as Dublin, Cork, Shannon and London. Its services include managed hosting and co-location, broadband, wide area networks, leased lines and online data security and back up. Strencom offers market levels of security because it can back all client data up to a second wholly owned data centre facility. The company was established in 1999, is ranked in the Deloitte Technology Fast Growth 50 and is 100% privately owned. Today, its customer base contains in excess of three hundred business, public sector and reseller clients. Further information is available at www.strencom.net.

About e-net

e-net is the Irish owned and managed company which holds the concession to manage, maintain and operate Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) of fibre optic cable built by the Government in towns with a population over 1,500.

e-net provides cost effective telecommunications products and services to authorised operators on a wholesale basis. e-net is committed to the development of the regions in Ireland through encouraging the open delivery of affordable, state of the art broadband services.