Mobile operator 3 has reported that the company now has over 150,000 mobile broadband customers in Ireland and has introduced a set of new value-oriented price plans to boost broadband take-up.
3 sales director Elaine Carey cited the Commission for Communications Regulation’s (ComReg) most recent quarterly report, which identified 3 as accounting for 38pc of the mobile broadband market.
“First to market with mobile broadband in 2007, 3 has led the way in delivering unparalleled growth and leadership with mobile broadband growing at a rate of 142pc, which significantly outstrips the rest of the telecommunications industry,” Carey added.
3, which is owned by major conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa, says its new price plans have the highest data cap threshold in the current marketplace with 15GB available, and come with the lowest data charges of €1.33 if users exceed their data cap.
Under the new price plans the company’s E180G broadband modem, which costs €49 with a 12-month contract, will be available with 7.2Mbps download and 2Mbps upload for €19.99 a month with a 15GB data cap.
The company’s E160G device, which is €19 on 12-month contract and free for a 18-month contract, will be available with speeds of 3.6Mbps down and 384Kbps up and will come with a 15GB data cap.
Carey said the E160G and E180G devices are enabled for speeds of up to 3.6Mbps downlink/384Kbps uplink and 7.2Mbps downlink/2Mbps uplink respectively and represent consumer savings of between 60pc and 38pc on current price plans.
“These figures are real evidence of the success and continued demand for mobile broadband in Ireland,” commented 3 Ireland chief executive, Robert Finnegan.
“Our European experience, with more than 2 million mobile broadband customers, underpins 3’s knowledge and expertise in the area. Many of the world’s leading equipment manufacturers now acknowledge mobile broadband as the leading broadband technology and their global roadmaps reflect this.
“Gone are the days when Wimax and Wi-Fi were seen as challengers. The continued rapid development of mobile broadband has resulted in 3 taking on the role of market pioneer in Ireland.
“Now is an exciting time for mobile broadband as the roll out of new technologies such as LTE (Long-Term Evolution) will deliver a superior customer experience to more consumers, more quickly and in a more cost-effective way than fixed line,” Finnegan said.
By John Kennedy
