The old xbar network never really got completed before digital switching started to arrive on the scene . It had major switching hubs in all of the major regional centres i.e. each area code and there were in some cases, due to the geographical spread of people 2/3 centres. However, the network was pretty bad outside of the urban areas. Most rural areas, with some notable exceptions, went straight from manual to digital.
The hierarchical system of numbering basically had a main trunk centres at Cork serving Co. Cork (02), Galway serving much of the west (09), Limerick serving the midwest (06), Waterford serving the south east (05X), Athlone serving the midlands (050X), Sligo serving the Northwest (07X) and Dublin serving Co. Dublin and sorrounding areas (01). The 04 area was a bit scattered so had a few centres.
These centres also housed the main operator centres and services like directory enquiries etc. and in many cases still house eircom call centres for DQ and operator services.
Basically at the 0X1 or the 0X01 codes, with a few minor exceptions.
Common control Xbar was slightly more intelligent than SxS so traffic could be routed a little more easily than in the UK network without the need for Directors etc.
However, there were still plenty of rural areas where dialling the area code would get you an operator. Or where you had to dial 10 and ask to be connected to "Exchange name + number"
P&T (The Department of Post and Telegraphs) which was actually a government department rather than a semi-state company was an complete disaster. Underfunded, over staffed and suffered from extreme political interference and bureaucracy that Sir Humphry (Yes Minister) would have been proud of. At its lowest point, just before it was abolished, a 1 to 2 year wait was normal to install a phone line and the trunk network could barely handle calls between Cork and Dublin automatically due to lack of capacity! The only thing they had working semi-acceptably were the urban xbar systems although they were totally under capacity.
It got so bad it turned into a political crisis as it was very seriously damaging business and the result was P&T was completely abolished. Telecom Eireann set up with a mission to digitalise the network as fast as possible. They cut a deal with Alcatel and set up a joint venture company, Telecom Alcatel, with them to manufacture and roll out the E10 network and did a similar deal with Ericsson to speed up AXE roll out.
E10 switches were manufactured in Cork in modular racks for larger switches or for rural areas in weather proof air conditioned containers which could be dropped in to a town, usually behind the post office or police station and hooked up to a fiber optic link back to their parent exchange and tie in the local subscribers. It meant digital phone lines started popping up very rapidly.
Ericsson AXE systems were manufactured in Athlone, in the midlands and similarly rolled out.
Telecom Eireann actually developed considerable expertise in this area and ended up acting as consultants for network modernisation projects around the world.
Telecom Alcatel and the Ericsson joint venture companies were wound down but both companies retained some manufacturing/assembly, mostly to support Eircom and pretty large training facilities. Ericsson have a centre in Dublin used to train people in digital switching systems from right around the world. It's complete with working model AXE switching systems.
Alcatel still does quite a lot of software development and training in West Cork as well as supporting Eircom's alcatel network.
[This message has been edited by djk (edited 09-26-2003).]
