Europe : O2 Ireland officially launched O2 Broadband which will provide wireless broadband at speeds of up to 3.6Mbps. The new service offers a viable alternative to fixed broadband in the home, providing one of the fastest and easiest ways for customers in Ireland to get Internet and email access, whether they are at home, in the office or on the move.

Inset shows the 875u HSDPA datacard which will be offered by O2 Ireland.

O2 Broadband, through a wireless USB modem, will enable up to 10GB of data to be downloaded as standard per month, with no additional charges for occasional usage in excess of this. O2 is the first mobile provider in Ireland not to automatically charge customers in they exceed the 10GB usage limit, subject to fair usage policy.

The service will initially be available for a three month introductory price of €15 per month for those with an existing O2 post-pay voice connection or for new post-pay customers taking a voice connection*. It will be €20 for all other customers. Following the three month promotional period, the monthly cost is €30 (with voice connection*). For all other customers the cost is €40 per month. The USB modem will be priced from €69 (all prices quoted are inclusive of VAT).

Commenting on the launch of O2 Broadband, Jude Lynch, Sales Director - O2 Ireland, said, "Last year O2 announced a major upgrade of its network in order to provide a powerful and reliable platform to deliver feature-rich services at speeds faster than those provided by fixed broadband networks and with the added advantage of mobility. We are delighted to now be in a position to bring the first of our broadband services to the market offering speeds of up to 3.6Mbps, ahead of those typically used on fixed line broadband services in Ireland today."

O2 Broadband is based on HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology and will offer 75% population coverage at launch. O2 is also already advanced in rolling out an EDGE network nationwide meaning that if an O2 Broadband customer cannot access the HSDPA network, through the EDGE network they will still be able to benefit from speeds much faster than dial up broadband. "EDGE is an enhancement to the 2G network, in the same way that HSDPA is an enhancement to the 3G network. EDGE provides speeds 4 to 5 times faster than GPRS," said Jude Lynch.

Research conducted by TNS mrbi on behalf of O2 found that almost half of the senior managers in small and medium sized businesses were unable to access fixed line broadband from their home or office. The research suggested a growing digital divide between Dublin and the rest of the country. While 70% of those surveyed in Dublin had broadband access from home, the figures fall to 45% in Munster, 41% in Connacht/Ulster and 31% in the Rest of Leinster.

O2 Broadband is available through any O2 Retail store nationwide.

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