Mobile Broadband from 3

Jam Man

Is this the end of the walled garden?!


3 to offer flat fee mobile broadband

November 16, 2006 14:29

http://www.rte.ie/business/2006/1116/3.html

Hutchison Whampoa, which owns mobile company 3 Ireland, has launched a new service that offers unlimited broadband access for a flat fee on mobile phones.

Up to, mobile operators have charged per minute for broadband use. The service will be available in the UK from the start of December, and in Ireland early next year.

The company said customers would be able to make unlimited calls from their mobile using Skype, watch their home television via their mobile, access their home PC and have unlimited access to internet and messaging services from Yahoo!, Windows Live Messenger and Google.

3 Ireland managing director Robert Finnegan did not disclose the price of the new service to Irish customers, but said it would be 'very competitive', not only against mobile operators, but also against fixed line operators.

He added that, from February 2007, when it has finished upgrading its network, it would offer Irish customers broadband speed of 3.6mb per second.

Speaking today at a launch in London, Canning Fok, MD of Hutchison Whampoa, said that fixed cost mobile broadband was the natural next step for mobile services.

3 Ireland, which launched on the Irish mobile services market last year, operates one of Ireland's 3G mobile phone licences. It plans to open 28 Irish stores by the end of next year.

MayoExplosion

http://xseries.three.com/

wiredmacker

Yeah I saw that it looks great . Does anybody know the date when it's coming out ?

Urban Weigl

Fourth quarter 2006 in the UK, first quarter 2007 in Ireland.

ns06

I can see it now, Unlimited broadband, but wait.... there's a limit!

krpc

I wish they'd fix their phone service and related problems (i.e. unlocking Nokia handsets, actually training their customer care staff) before moving onto other endeavours that will more than likely prove to be another half hearted attempt to provide some sort of a service to the public from 3.

ns06

Here here! They can bring out all the greatest "3 Stuff," but if you can't even make normal voice calls who cares bout the rest?

They're definitely taking pointers from the big red!

1huge1

guessing the walled garden going down last year wasn't as big of a mistake as we thought
it could (hopefully) be down again soon enough

flodis79

Urban Weigl wrote:

Fourth quarter 2006 in the UK, first quarter 2007 in Ireland.

Isnt first quarter 2007 when the HSDPA (3.6 Mbps broadband) is coming out, re the article - and the flatrate will come out before that??
They wouldnt really need that speed for any of the services in the xseries bundle, not even voip or video, 1.5 Mbps is enough.

rogue-entity

None of 3's handsets can use HSDPA as of yet, and IIRC, HSPDA is to UMTS what GPRS is to GSM, its just a matter of them updating the software at the cell sites and testing it. The thing is, the (so far) only decent HSDPA phone, the N95m, wont be out until mid 2007 which translates to Christmas for Ireland.

In any case, I am wondering if 3 will delay the launch of the N73 and the SE W950i until X-Series is rolled out here. Or will they just sell the phones pre-loaded with the software for MSN, Yahoo!, Slingbox etc and sell them earlier. This has made me pause on buying an N73 until closer to, or after, the launch of X-Series here.

plonk

Ok i have to say now im glad im with 3. A few problems at the sart but nothing major. I wonder how much this x-series will cost a month. Now all i have to decide is n73 or w950i





Edit: W950i doesnt have a camera (such a let down) so it looks like the n73

Umiq88

This means you'll have full access to anything on the internet or

full unlimited broadband flatrate access to threes limited browsing

1huge1

^^full access to anything on the internet

they'd be out off their minds if they could possibly try to make you pay any more than your already paying to view their useless crap

Umiq88

If they do a good job of it that would be class

The main thing that put me off three and a few of my mates is that theres no open access to the internet

mkennedy

sounds cool.
but does anyone know if it's possible to use unlocked pocketpc-phones such as the upcoming htc and o2 devices on the 3 network.

e.g 3g devices like htc tytn, htc trinity, o2 exec.
i heard somewhere that unlocked phones may not work on the network.

and sorry if this is a dumb question, but do unlocked versions of "2g" phones like the o2 atom, htc artemis etc work on their network or is it purely 3g models that work on it.

quintron

This could make me forgive nokia for not putting wifi in the N73 or in the SE for that matter.
Like others I wait (im)patiently for the N95. Was considering the 950i or the N73 as a bridging phone :-)
I just read that Caabal has got his phone unlocked too. Might finally be able to offload my 6680 now and get an N73..

If what I read is true and the service is somewhat reliable. Its a little like wimax no?

Great to have slingbox functionality! If it works out realistically then it would be a better option than vodas tv.

Skype on Symbian?? Haven't heard anything about this! Would have thought there would have been some recent coverage of that breakthrough elsewhere? I'm dubious!

Cabaal

quintron wrote:

Skype on Symbian?? Haven't heard anything about this! Would have thought there would have been some recent coverage of that breakthrough elsewhere? I'm dubious!

There was news on the net about it about a year ago, Three had done some work with Skype to get it running. if you google it you'll find the storys

quintron

I read the stories, back in Feb but I thought with all the rss feeds (all about symbian included) I read daily there would have been some mention of it!
However I have just looked at the Flicker set from the x-series blog and there it is.. "a worlds first for symbian etc"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xseries/sets/72157594378915808/show/
I'll wait to see. Glad to see they will offer "x-series" apps as downloadable so that you can get your phone new simfree etc and download the software later..

Edit:
Apologies I'm blind.. http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/4551_3_launch_X-Series_on_Symbian_p.php
someone mentions something about Skype using the iSkoot client..

A review of the Nokia N95:
http://soaileek.net/nokialist/2006/11/18/n95r1/

wiredmacker

I take it I'm not going to get charged for calling my mates who have skype on their PCs or is skype just free for users that call other users that have skype on the 3 network. I mean I don't want to get charged for calling a PC , I can understand the charge for calling mobiles and landlines

quintron

@ wiredmacker:
Seems you pay a flat monthly fee and can call any skype contact for free. You are charged (via skype) for skype out calls obviously.
To three its just data. You pay them a flat fee for unlimited data and do with it what you will (within reason of course). Skype would use a lot less data than slingmedia for streaming packets of data.. Incidently.. with the front facing cam on N73 it seems logical that skype video calls may be a possibility down the line if you can stream your tv via slingbox..

neilled

mkennedy wrote:

sounds cool.
but does anyone know if it's possible to use unlocked pocketpc-phones such as the upcoming htc and o2 devices on the 3 network.

e.g 3g devices like htc tytn, htc trinity, o2 exec.
i heard somewhere that unlocked phones may not work on the network.

and sorry if this is a dumb question, but do unlocked versions of "2g" phones like the o2 atom, htc artemis etc work on their network or is it purely 3g models that work on it.

Three use "USIM" simcards which are not backwards compaitble with 2g phones.