Eircom will introduce its high speed Internet access technology, DSL (digital subscriber line), in September.

The company is understood to be moving from its internal, employee-only trials of the technology to commercial trials with select customers within the next four weeks.

While a price has not yet been agreed, it is believed, it will fall within a range of £40-£60 (#51-#76) a month.

Most exchanges in Dublin would probably be served and perhaps select areas in other large cities.

In April, Eircom withdrew from a State-subsidised plan to bring DSL to the Border, Midland and Western region.

DSL makes broadband access available to home and small businesses, using the existing copper telephone wires that enter households and work premises.

The technology offers flat-rate, "always-on" access at speeds up to 20 times that of home computer modems.

Government, businesses and consumers are concerned that the Republic still has no DSL offering, despite its widespread availability in many other European countries and the US.

Other telecoms have complained they cannot consider offering a DSL service until Eircom completes the process of unbundling the local loop - opening to competition that part of its network between local exchanges and individual buildings. Recently, the telecommunications regulator, Ms Etain Doyle, required Eircom to lower the price it originally proposed to charge other operators for each local loop to #13.53 a month from #32.50.

Eircom is required to inform other telecoms operators of its DSL plans and pricing structures before offering its own services, and is understood to be at an advanced stage of that process. Once Eircom fixes a price, at least one other operator is expected to put forward a DSL service. While governments internationally have voiced commitments to making broadband access widely available, DSL take-up across the US and Europe has been lower than expected and most smaller operators in those markets have ceased to offer DSL.