Vodafone has launched the first third-generation mobile service in Ireland, but it may come as a surprise to most users — the new high-speed data service is not received through a mobile phone.
Instead, the downstream data with speeds of up to 384Kbit/sec is
received to a laptop via a data card that fits into the PCMCIA slot. The product targets mobile workers in business, although the high costs may initially position it as a high-end corporate product. Sold in bundles, it costs a user €25 for the entry-level package of
20Mbyte worth of downloads per month. The user is also required to pay a once-off fee of €349 for the card, although it is currently available on special offer for €199.
However, more intensive users who subscribe to a download bundle of more than 180Mbyte can get a double the downloads for a limited period. Typically, users who subscribe to the 500Mbyte option, actually get 1Gbyte of downloads with a card included
for €199 per month.
Mary Morrissey, product marketing manager for Vodafone Mobile Connect, says that pricing for the service in Ireland ‘is in line with that of the UK’. She also says that the service is available with 45 per cent population coverage, in the major urban areas of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. The card is designed to switch back to GPRS speeds when the user moves out of a 3G-enabled cell. Morrissey says that the download speeds for the service average out at 200Kbit/sec downstream and 64Kbit/sec
upstream.
Contact:
Vodafone
www.vodafone.ie
30/08/04
Ltd
