The High Court will give its decision tomorrow on Eircom's application for court protection.

The company asked the court to appoint an interim examiner to Eircom and two related companies - Meteor and ITI.

Senior Counsel Maurice Collins said the companies were insolvent due to guarantees they had given in relation to loans from financial institutions and funds.

The court heard that 1,000 people will lose their jobs in Eircom over the next five years. But the court was told that is far fewer people than if the companies went into receivership or were wound up.

Examinership is a process that protects company assets from creditors for up to 100 days while a survival plan is worked on to keep the business afloat. The examinership would be the largest in Irish corporate history.