O2 Ireland has introduced a flexible mobile broadband price plan called O2 Clear Broadband – a new 30-day contract priced at €30 per month for a 5GB data limit.
To sign up for this contract customers must purchase an O2 broadband USB modem, which is priced at €79 for the Huawei E220 and €149 for the E270, E870 or E170. However, these devices can be bought for between €29 and €89 on the O2 Clear 12-month mobile broadband contract.
Similar to O2’s new 30-day mobile broadband offer is the 3Pay option from 3 Ireland, which costs €25 for 30 days broadband access with a 10MB cap after purchasing the 3DataModem for €99. But this service operates more like a mobile phone top-up where ‘credit’ can be bought from a 3 retailer.
These recent offers are indicative of the newly emerging demand for mobile broadband access, much like that of the mobile phone, where there are no 12-month-plus contracts tying the customer down.
However, the downside to availing of this kind of mobile broadband is that it does end up costing more per month and with a smaller data limit.
By Marie Boran
Pictured: O2’s mobile broadband USB modem
