Sir, - I wish to point out the inaccuracies contained in Mr Donovan's letter of July 13th with regard to the granting of the second mobile telephone licence, and particularly with regard to Esat Digifone mobile telephone masts.
Pursuant to EU law, which was designed to increase national competition and make European countries more competitive by lowering telecom costs, the Minister for Communications invited tenders from companies to operate a second mobile phone service in Ireland. Esat Digifone was selected by the Irish Government in the face of stiff international competition.
Opening the mobile phone market to competition will bring many benefits to the people of Ireland. As well as creating over 300 new jobs, our service will provide value for money, by ensuring that the best quality service is available. Ireland needs a world class mobile phone service if it is to continue to attract industry to this country, particularly to outlying areas.
To ensure that our service meets the needs of businesses and private users alike, it is necessary for Esat Digifone to have a national network. In planning and building our network, we exercise a co location policy wherever possible; this means that wherever feasible we will share masts or structures. As well as making commercial sense, this policy maximises the use of existing structures (such as rooftops of buildings and water towers) while minimising the need to build new masts.
Mr Donovan's claim regarding the number of masts Esat Digifone will be erecting is totally inaccurate. In total, our network will require less than 150 new masts nationally. In all cases, we thoroughly investigated the availability of existing structures in local areas before submitting a planning application for new masts. In rural areas, many of Esat Digifone's proposed masts will be located in mature Coillte forestry plantations, where most of the structure will be naturally camouflaged by evergreen trees.
However, we now have a service to provide to the public. The railway service in Ireland could never have been provided to the country without the laying of railway tracks in the last century. We cannot provide the quality mobile service the country needs without the supporting infrastructure.
With regard to the height of our masts, I can confirm that some will indeed be 30 metres high; however, where terrain is naturally elevated, masts can and will be shorter than 30 metres. Esat Digifone has made every effort to locate them as sensitively as possible, ensuring minimum visual and environmental impact.
Yours, etc.,
Joint chief executive,
Esat Digifone,
76 Lower Baggot Street,
Dublin 2.