Telecom Éireann (meaning "Telecommunications of Ireland") was an Irish state-owned telecommunications company established by the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act, 1983, that operated from 1983 to 1999. Prior to then a telephone and postal service was provided by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs (known as "P and T" or "P⁊T" in Gaelic script), as part of the civil service. Its full formal title was "Bord Telecom Éireann or, in the English language, The Irish Telecommunications Board". "Telecom Éireann" may be translated as "Telecom of Ireland". In 1999, the company was privatised and renamed as eircom.
Upgrading the network
Telecom Éireann rolled out digital telephone switching technology, across the country along with an extensive fibre optic and digital microwave backbone. Digital technology quickly replaced analogue systems at national and major regional switching centres and new international gateway switches were installed. Two digital switching systems were selected; CIT-Alcatel's E10 and Ericsson's AXE telephone exchange. The oldest electromechanical step-by-step exchanges and manual operator-manned local exchanges were the first to be converted to digital technology. More modern electromechanical crossbar exchanges, using Ericsson ARF, Hitachi and ITT Pentaconta[2]