Eircom

BT has now discontinued this scheme, and is moving to upgrade all remaining exchanges in the UK to ADSL during 2005, (including Northern Ireland, which has the highest number of exchanges upgraded to broadband in the UK). In New York City, for example, there is the theatre district, the garment district, and districts with names like SoHo and TriBeCa. Copying a similar scheme to that used by BT in the UK, they have introduced a trigger scheme for DSL enabling their smaller exchanges based on numbers of users committing to sign-up for service. Many cities in the late 20th century adopted names for non-governmental districts as a way of increasing recognition and identity of these distinct areas. They have stated that their strategy is to strongly grow broadband user numbers and re-enter the mobile market. School districts are the most common, but other types of districts include college districts, hospital districts, utility districts, irrigation districts, port districts, and public transit districts. eircom predict 100,000 DSL connection by year end 2004 and promise to announce ambitious further growth targets in 2005. The United States also has many types of special-purpose districts with limited powers of local government.

After a slow start broadband subscriber numbers started to pick up in 2004 when eircom cut the price for the basic DSL service and launched an intensive television advertising campaign. Districts in Alaska are the equivalent of a county or parish in the Lower 48 states. Eircom's line rental costs have increased over the years, now standing at €24.18 per month - the highest such charge in the EU. The District of Columbia is the only part of the United States, excluding territories, that is not a located within any of the fifty states. Some consider this act to be asset stripping by the large investors with interests in eircom. A constituency with a representative in a state legislature is a legislative district; the territory over which a federal court has jurisdiction is a federal judicial district. After the privatisation of eircom, the highly profitable mobile phone division, Eircell, was sold to Vodafone. Overall, there are 435 congressional districts in the United States; each has roughly 630,000 people, with some variance.

eircom's corporate structure has also been subject to criticism in recent years, with accusations of poor management and overstaffing levelled at it. Only voters within each district are allowed to vote in the election for the member of the House from that district. This technology, which is not available in all areas is an alternative, albeit expensive option, in some areas where broadband is not available and ISDN is. Each state is organized into one or more such districts; the exact number within each state is based on the most recent census. Before eircom announced ADSL it started a telemarketing campaign aimed at customers who spent large amounts of time on dial-up connections to persuade them to subscribe to ISDN - an old inferior technology. A constituency with a representative in Congress is a congressional district. Penalities on any extra time spent online mean that a mere 12 hours extra per month (charged at 4c per minute) will result in a bill of around €50 (these charges are on top of the €24.18 line rental), though this product is targeted at lower end users. There are several types of districts in the United States.

In June 2005 a new product was offered, offering time-limited broadband of 20 hours per month for €24.99 (introductory offer, €19.99). Districts are a form of local government in several countries. Some of eircom's DSL packages and offers have been widely criticised. Some provinces also contain sub-districts ("king amphoe"), which are smaller than the average district. Only 60% of the population are located in the urban areas where broadband is available [4], and of these, only 75% qualify due to faulty lines (Eircom has no obligation to provide lines good enough for anything other than some level of voice communication). A district ("amphoe") is a subdivision of a Province ("changwat") in Thailand. It has been suggested that this is more to ensure that politicians, local community groups and the public at large feel that Ireland is being connected, rather than advertise available services (A large part of the population cannot take up the broadband deals). See Districts of Switzerland.

As of 2004, eircom's PR division runs near-daily advertisements for broadband connections on national media. In Switzerland some cantons organise themselves into districts, while others dispense with districts and govern themselves at the Wahlkreise (Constituency or electoral district) level. Ireland continues to lag behind in terms of broadband availability, with the fifth lowest broadband penetration in the EU25 at 3% of population [3] (OECD, Dec 2004), and the lowest in Western Europe. [3]. Although it is not yet possible for other operators such as BT Ireland to buy the lines from eircom and charge their own line rental should they wish. and Kilinochchi 1,171 sq.km in the Northern Province, Batticaloa 2,463 sq.km, Trincomalee 2,616 sq.km and Ampara 2,984 sq.km in the Eastern Province, Kurunegala 4,771 sq.km and Puttalam 2,976 sq.km in the North Western Province, Anuradhapura 7,128 sq.km and Polonnaruwa 3,403 sq.km in the North Central Province, Badulla 2,818 sq.km and Moneragala 7,133 sq.km in the Uva Province, and Ratnapura 3,237 sq.km and Kegalle 1,663 sq.km in the Sabaragamuwa Province. However, under a wholesale line rental scheme, it is now possible for customers, to have a single bill from an alternative provider, for example, BT Ireland, including the cost of Eircom line rental, rather than continuing to receive a separate one from eircom for this cost. The 25 Administrative Districts are Colombo 642 sq.km, Gampaha 1,393 sq.km and Kalutara 1,606 sq.km in the Western Province, Kandy 2,365 sq.km, Matale 1,987 sq.km and Nuwara Eliya 1,228 sq.km in the Central Province, Galle 1,673 sq.km, Matara 1,246 sq.km, and Hambantota 2,593 sq.km in the Southern Province, Jaffna 1,114 sq.km, Mannar 1,963 sq.km, Mullaitivu 1,580 sq.km, Vavuniya 2,642 sq.km.

Introduced in Ireland in 2001, CPS allows subscribers to use an alternative provider for all their calls, without the need to dial indirect access codes or numbers, although they still receive a bill from eircom for line rental. [2]. While eircom retains a virtual monopoly, at around 80%, on fixed line telephony in the State (the only exception being those operated by cable company NTL - Chorus previously offered wireless telephony but failed to renew their licence) it is required to allow carrier pre-selection (CPS). (The Northern and Eastern Provinces, however, have been technically jointly administered since 1988.) The Provinces are subdivided into a total of 25 administrative Districts. [2]. For purposes of local government, the country of Sri Lanka is divided into 9 Provinces: Western, Central, Southern, Northern, Eastern, North Western, North Central, Uva and Sabaragamuwa. Eircom announced the successful purchase on 25 July 2005 at a cost of €420m. See Districts of Serbia.

On 21 July it was announced that Smart Telecom had also withdrawn, leaving eircom as the sole bidder. In Serbia-Montenegro, Serbia is divided into 29 districts (okrug) and the city of Belgrade, each of which is further divided into municipalities (opština) while Montenegro is directly divided into 21 municipalities. On 14 July 2005, RTÉ News reported on their business website that Denis O'Brien had withdrawn from bidding, and that it was understood that eircom was the top bidder at €410m. In Scotland local government districts were use from 1975 to 1996. On 9 July 2005 it was reported by The Irish Times that there had been three bidders for Meteor: eircom, Smart Telecom, and a consortium led by Denis O'Brien. Main article: Regions and districts of Scotland. It was considered that this afforded eircom an opportunity to re-enter the mobile communications market. See Districts of Portugal.

In early 2005, several Irish newspapers reported that Meteor Mobile Communications, the third mobile phone operator, was up for sale by its owners, Western Wireless. They do not have an elected government; they are governed by a "civil governor" appointed by the central government. The company floated at €1.55 a share, but dipped on initial trading before recovering to trade above its float price. Districts (Portuguese: distritos) are administrative divisions of Portugal. On 19 March 2004 the company returned to the stock market (although the company being listed, eircom Group plc, was in fact a new holding company, and was registered in England and Wales rather than the Republic of Ireland). See: Districts of Peru. However eircom did not remain a private company. Third level subdivisions of Peru.

eircom plc was delisted from the stock exchange, become eircom Limited, a private limited company by shares and a subsidary of Valentia. A district is not always a simple division of a region, some districts straddle regional boundaries. Eventually in June 2001 the company agreed a recommended offer of €1.27 per eircom share. The Chatham Islands Territory is neither a district nor a city. After the demerger of Eircell, eircom itself was believed to be undervalued and became the subject of a bidding war between two consortia - the E-Island consortium headed by Denis O'Brien, and the Valentia Consortium headed by Sir Anthony O'Reilly, the chairman of Independent News and Media. While cities and districts are generally considered to be two different types of territorial authority, the area covered by a city is often known as its district—for example the term district plan is used equally in districts and cities. This left the eircom shareholder with not only shares in eircom, but Vodafone also. Districts tend to be less urbanised, tend to cover more than one population centre and a larger amount of rural area, and tend to have a smaller population than cities.

The company was transfered to a separate entity, Eircell 2000 plc which was then sold to Vodafone via a share swop. In New Zealand a district is a territorial authority (second-tier local government unit) that has not gained the distinction of being proclaimed a city. In 2001, eircom disposed of its mobile arm Eircell to Vodafone. Main article: Territorial Authorities of New Zealand. This may have been a factor in Mary O'Rourke, the then Minister for Public Enterprise losing her seat in the general election. The districts of Nauru are the only subdivisions of the whole state. Many of the 500,000 small investors were angered by the significant financial loss they incurred, blaming the government for not sufficiently warning them of the risks inherent in stock market investment. In Malaysia, a district is a division of a state.

The eircom flotation is considered to have been an example of a stock market bubble - after the initial hype of the flotation died down, the stock price fell rapidly. In Kenya, a district (Wilaya) is a subdivision of a Province and is headed by a District Officer (DO). eircom plc was then floated on the Irish Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and New York Stock Exchange s on July 8, 1999 and small/first-time investors were encouraged by the Irish Government to buy shares. District is also a translation for chiku defined by Japan's planning law. Due to EU laws requiring the opening up of the Irish telecommunications market, eircom was privatised, a process which began in 1995, and by July 1999 the government had disposed of virtually all of its shareholding [1]. In 1923, its administrative role was abolished although it is still in use for addressing purposes. For details of the company during its time as a state-sponsored body, see the Telecom Éireann article. See districts of Japan for more complete discription.

This article deals mainly with the post-privatisation eircom. A district (gun in Japanese) is a local administrative unit comprising towns and villages but not cities. The company was formed in 1984 as Bord Telecom Éireann, under Posts and Telecommunications Act 1983. As of October 2005, a total of 602 Districts are defined in India. See the criticism section below for more details. An intermediate level (the Sub-Division) between District and tehsil/taluka may be formed by grouping these units under the oversight of Assistant Commissioners. eircom has been subject to much criticism in the performance of its activities. These units have specific local responsibilities, including in particular coordinating revenue collection.

Many broadband products offered by other operators are resales of the eircom product. Districts are most frequently further sub-divided into smaller administrative units, called either tehsils or talukas, depending on the region. As an operator with significant market power, eircom is required to provide a number of wholesale products to other operators and to switch calls onto other phone networks. The roles of Deputy Commissioner and District Collector may be combined. eircom Phonewatch provides burglar alarm and home monitoring services. Other key responsibilities include the collection of revenue, and for the Judiciary of the district and sessional courts. Their ISP division, eircom net, provides dial-up services, as well as broadband (see broadband roll-out, below) services. The district collector is a person who belongs to IAS (Indian Administrative Services).

A full range of telecommunications services is provided on the network. The office of District Collector is also defined, who is the local controller of the district-level administrative staff officers (i.e., the "Public Service") of all the local departments under state government. Most homes and businesses in the state are connected by his network. A District is headed by a Deputy Commissioner in most cases, responsible for the overall administration and the maintenance of law and order. eircom operate the largest fixed-line telecommunications network in the Republic of Ireland, under licence from the Commission for Communications Regulation. Where warranted, Districts may further be grouped into administrative Divisions, which form an intermediate level between the District and the subnational State (or union territory). . They generally form the tier of local government immediately below that of India's subnational States and Territories.

eircom now has a 44% share of the Irish telecoms market. India's districts are local administrative units inherited from the British Raj. It is now run by Vodafone. The councils have a constitutional requirement to be comprised of a minimum of 33% women, there is no upper limit to that; so women can comprise 100% of these councils but men cannot. An analogue TACS and a digital GSM 900 network operation in Ireland, started as Eircell, was once owned by eircom. The District Nazim heads an elected District Council which is comprised to councilors, who represent various district level constituencies. eircom currently operates the fixed-line telephone network, act as an internet service provider (ISP) eircom.net, and operate a property alarm installation and montioring unit called eircom Phonewatch. A District is headed by a District Nazim (Mayor), who is an elected official and the local controller of the district level officers of all the departments under provincial government.

As Bord Telecom Éireann plc, the company was (until 1999) a state monopoly; as a private company it continues to dominate many telecommunications areas, its main competitor being BT Ireland (formerly Esat BT), although this is accessed via eircom's network. They comprise of villages, towns and cities. eircom Group plc is the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of Ireland. Pakistan has 130 districts (including 7 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir).
. Districts were generally grouped into administrative Divisions, which in turn formed Provinces. Pakistan's districts are local administrative units inherited from the British Raj.

See also Districts of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is divided into 18 districts, each with a district council. It also raises income from business through the Non-Domestic Rates system, which is co-ordinated nationally. Each district raises taxes from residents on behalf of itself, and the upper tier authority through the Council Tax.

Districts tend to have responsibility for a number of areas including:. For those areas which retain two-tier local government, districts usually form the lower tier of that arrangement, with counties forming the upper tier. Districts are the most recognisable form of local government in large parts of England. Main article: Districts of England.

The xian is translated as "county" in the context of modern China. In the context of pre-modern China, the English translation "district" is typically associated with xian, another Chinese administrative division. Modern districts are a recent innovation. Districts have county level status.

In China, the district or qū (市辖区, pinyin: shì xiá qū) is a subdivision of any of various city administrative units, including municipalities, sub-provincial cities and prefecture-level cities. Gradually, these districts became separate territories (such as Yukon Territory, separate provinces (such as Alberta and Saskatchewan) or were absorbed into other provinces. The first district created was the District of Keewatin in 1876 followed by four more districts in 1882. In western and northern Canada, the federal government created districts as subdivisions of the Northwest Territories 1870-1905, partly on the model of the districts created in the Province of Canada.

The boundaries of a federal census division may correspond to those of a district. Some districts may have District Social Service Administration Boards, which are designed to provide certain social services. Marie). Sault Ste.

The current Ontario districts such as Algoma and Nipissing were first created by the Province of Canada in 1858 prior to Confederation for the delivery of judicial and provincial government services to sparsely populated areas from the district seat (e.g. Districts continued to operation until 1849 when they were replaced by counties by the Province of Canada. Orginally present-day Southern Ontario (then part of the Province of Quebec and after 1791, Upper Canada) was divided into districts in 1788[1]. Most districts are comprised of unincorporated lands, mostly Crown land.

In Ontario, a district is a statutory subdivision of the province, but, unlike a county, a district is not incorporated. The Belgian city of Antwerp is sub-divided into 9 districts (Dutch: districten). concerning matters of traffic. In practice, they have some power, e.g.

Those representative bodies are supposed to serve as immediate contacts for the locals on the political and administrative level. However, representatives (Bezirksräte) on the district level are elected, and they in turn elect the head of the district, the Bezirksvorsteher. Legally, the Magistratisches Bezirksamt (district office) is a local offices of the municipality's administration. The State of Vienna, which is at the same time a municipality, is also subdivided in 23 districts, which, however, have a somewhat different function than in the rest of the country.

Main article: Districts of Vienna. These urban districts do have the same tasks as a normal district. They are called Statutarstadt in Austrian administrative law. There are also independent cities in Austria.

Officials on the district level are not elected, but appointed by the state government. While there are matters of administrative law of which the municipalities themselves are in charge or where there are special bodies, the district is the basic unit of general administration in Austria. It is in charge of the administration of all matters of federal and state administrative law and subject to orders from the higher instances, usually the Landeshauptmann (governor) in matters of federal law and the Landesregierung (state government) in state law. The administrative office of a district, the Bezirkshauptmannschaft is headed by the Bezirkshauptmann.

In Austria, a district is an administrative subdivision normally encompassing several municipalities, roughly equivalent to the Landkreis in Germany. Main article: Districts of Austria. . Local government areas called districts are used, or have been used, in several countries.

See Subdivisions of East Germany. District was also the name of administrative subdivisions of the German Democratic Republic since 1952. In some states, there is additional level of administration between the Länder and the Landkreise called Regierungsbezirk ('government district'). See also: Districts of Germany.

116 larger cities (usually with more than 100,000 inhabitants) do not belong to a district are considered as urban districts ("Kreisfreie Städte" or "Stadtkreise") themselves. Most of the 439 German districts are "Landkreise", rural districts. In Germany, a district ("Kreis") is an administrative unit between the "Länder" (German federal states) and the local / municipal levels (Gemeinden). Environmental Health.

Arts & Entertainment. Planning. Housing. Refuse collection.

Leisure Services. tax collection (Council Tax & Non-Domestic Rates).