Image: © Jacob Lund/Stock.adobe.com
Sky will use Vodafone’s network to enter the Irish market following a wholesale partnership between the two companies.
Broadband and TV service provider Sky is set to enter the Irish mobile market next year.
The company will join Vodafone, Eir and Virgin in offering Irish customers the four services of TV, broadband, home phone and mobile.
JD Buckley, CEO of Sky Ireland, said the announcement marks a “significant milestone” for the company’s growth in Ireland.
“Our primary focus is on serving our customers and enhancing our customer offering. Sky has a proven ability to launch new services at scale and we are excited about launching Sky Mobile to customers here, next year.”
Sky, which employs almost 1,000 people in Ireland, will use Vodafone’s network to join the Irish mobile market following a wholesale partnership between the two companies.
Vodafone’s CEO, Anne O’Leary, said she is delighted to partner with Sky and enable it to provide mobile services in Ireland.
“The entry of Sky to the mobile market provides enhanced choice for mobile consumers across the country and shows Vodafone’s continued commitment to providing competitive wholesale access to Ireland’s leading mobile network,” she said.
Telecom battles
While Sky’s entry into the Irish mobile market will add another competitor to the ring, those already established have been battling with a variety of offerings in recent years.
In 2019, Eir launched digital mobile brand GoMo. The following May, the company said the new budget brand helped its mobile division grow by 139,000 customers, amounting to an increase of 13pc.
Virgin Mobile aimed to compete with GoMo in 2020 with a ‘no-strings’ 30-day contract, offering customers unlimited 4G data, calls and texts for €15 for 12 months.
However, the real arena when it comes to telecoms is in the 5G space, where the top telcos are scrambling to compete.
In July 2020, Vodafone Ireland was aiming to speed up its 5G roll-out with a new technology called dynamic spectrum sharing, having switched on its 5G network in August 2019.
Meanwhile, Three switched on its 5G network in Ireland in September 2020, promising greater availability than its rivals.
Eir switched on its network in October 2019, a few months after Vodafone, and the service is now available to more than 70pc of people in Ireland. The company also recently said its customers would be upgraded to the 5G network for free.
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