When will 3 Ireland launch iPhone 4?

Matt Bauer

Does anyone have any information about when 3 Ireland will launch iPhone 4 in Ireland? They've posted an announcement on their UK website, three.co.uk, that they'll have it over there, and they've stated a few times they'll sell it here as well, but so far no announcement about pricing has been made.

In the UK, they charge the following:

£25 (€30) monthly gives you:

5000 3-to-3 minutes
500 any network minutes
1 GB data
5000 SMS messages

Lmao_Man

Ugh nobody knows about the release here in Ireland = don't know for 3.

All we know is some time in July.

storm2811

I know someone who works for 3 and all I know is that they're getting vague emails and posters that say "i" on them in massive letters,no idea what it's about though but could be something to do with the iPhone alright.

Walkman

The CEO of 3Ireland was quoted in a news paper a few weeks ago saying they were getting it. No point looking at 3UK site they have nothing to do with 3Ireland

OCD

Matt Bauer wrote: »

In the UK, they charge the following:

£25 (€30) monthly gives you:

5000 3-to-3 minutes
500 any network minutes
1 GB data
5000 SMS messages

I wish people would stop posting price details of uk tariffs here. They have 15 times the population of this country and therefore the market there is dog eat dog. They'll never be par between their tariffs and ours.

sweetie

if three let you roam for free on their uk network and vice versa why not sign upto three uk up north and avail of these tariffs or am I missing something?

ShaneU

Matt Bauer wrote: »

Does anyone have any information about when 3 Ireland will launch iPhone 4 in Ireland? They've posted an announcement on their UK website, three.co.uk, that they'll have it over there, and they've stated a few times they'll sell it here as well, but so far no announcement about pricing has been made.

In the UK, they charge the following:

£25 (€30) monthly gives you:

5000 3-to-3 minutes
500 any network minutes
1 GB data
5000 SMS messages

The equivalent three tariff in Ireland http://www.three.ie/products_services/priceplans/relax150.htm

€29 a month

150 3-to-3 minutes
Up to 300 Flexi-Units
(1 unit = 1 min. of talk time to any network anytime or 3 texts or 1Mb of Internet usage)

terrible deal.

whiterebel

OCD wrote: »

I wish people would stop posting price details of uk tariffs here. They have 15 times the population of this country and therefore the market there is dog eat dog. They'll never be par between their tariffs and ours.

Not quite that straightforward, though, its the excuse that the networks use. Also factor in that that we have the highest spend per person in Europe on mobile phones, calls and texts, and the operators have the highest profits in their groups. According to a recent post of a German iPhone tariff we have a better deal. How does that work when the German popular is so much greater than Ireland?

kopite davo

ShaneU wrote: »

The equivalent three tariff in Ireland http://www.three.ie/products_services/priceplans/relax150.htm

€29 a month

150 3-to-3 minutes
Up to 300 Flexi-Units
(1 unit = 1 min. of talk time to any network anytime or 3 texts or 1Mb of Internet usage)

terrible deal.

NOT COMPARED TO O2 OR VF

ShaneU

kopite davo wrote: »

NOT COMPARED TO O2 OR VF

If you don't plan on using the internet, then I agree.

grolschmore

Matt Bauer wrote: »

£25 (€30) monthly gives you:

5000 3-to-3 minutes
500 any network minutes
1 GB data
5000 SMS messages

As a ex employee of three, the reason for the difference between tariffs in the UK and Ireland are solely because 60% of the Irish population are using prepay sims, while in the UK 75% + are on bill pay.

Thats why there bill pay deals are much better.

Walkman

sweetie wrote: »

if three let you roam for free on their uk network and vice versa why not sign upto three uk up north and avail of these tariffs or am I missing something?

Yes, 3UK no longer let their customers roam on 3Irelands network for free anymore. 3Irl customers on the other hand can roam on 3UK at no extra cost

OCD

whiterebel wrote: »

Not quite that straightforward, though, its the excuse that the networks use. Also factor in that that we have the highest spend per person in Europe on mobile phones, calls and texts, and the operators have the highest profits in their groups. According to a recent post of a German iPhone tariff we have a better deal. How does that work when the German popular is so much greater than Ireland?

It might be the line they trot out but it's true. They know they can get away with small bundles here due to the small population whereas in the uk they kill each other on price to get customers signed up as there's way more competition.

As grolschmore says, they're nearly all on contract so the primary objective is to get customers locked into a contract. Their network spend per head is also less than it is here so they can cover more people in one city than we can in a whole country.

Unless something drastic changes, don't expect uk-like tariffs here ever.

grolschmore

i have been talking to customer care and they said that it will first be available only on bill upgrade by the end of july. as 3 put handsets through alot before releasing i doubt that date.

Matt Bauer

Mr.S wrote: »

Really wish they would at least 100% confirm if they will be selling the iphone 4, i have an upgrade due with 3 soon so would be great if i could use it. Not sure weather i should close my account and move to o2 or buy it sim free!

Whatever you do, don't move to o2! Their customer service is so bad, you'll be dreaming about talking to some guy in India you can't understand. They block random websites with their Chinese-style Internet censorship. Coverage drops in and out in parts of the country. If they cock up their billing, be prepared to spend hours on the phone until they fix it. If your phone ever breaks, it might be in repair for 6 months until you get it back. They've recently hiked their out of bundle call charges and minimum call charges by up to 80%. I could go on...

As an o2 customer for 11 years, I used to love them.

Matt Bauer

OCD wrote: »

It might be the line they trot out but it's true.

While I like your argument against small countries like Ireland, reality doesn't necessarily hold up. There are big countries where using a mobile is expensive, and there are small countries where it's cheap as chips. Ireland being a small country is not the reason we pay so much more, at least not the only one.

I've read many times on American forums that the reason mobiles are expensive over there is because the US is too big, and that's why it's cheaper in smaller countries. Same argument turned around.

Matt Bauer

Mr.S wrote: »

I was with o2 before 3, can't say i ever had an issue with them.

Probally stick with 3 through, just for the free UK roaming.

I have been an o2 customer for 11 years, and it's only during the past 2 that issues have started to crop up. I have the feeling that they've been going on a downward spiral in terms of their customer service and ability to solve issues since they were taken over by Telefonica.

OCD

Matt Bauer wrote: »

While I like your argument against small countries like Ireland, reality doesn't necessarily hold up. There are big countries where using a mobile is expensive, and there are small countries where it's cheap as chips. Ireland being a small country is not the reason we pay so much more, at least not the only one.

I've read many times on American forums that the reason mobiles are expensive over there is because the US is too big, and that's why it's cheaper in smaller countries. Same argument turned around.

Ireland isn't smaller compared to the US, it's minute.

Fact is (and I know this is fact because I know exactly how much it costs to build sites here compared to the uk) that a city like London, say 5m people in the innards, can be covered much cheaper by the network providers than this whole country and that is a massive factor when it comes to working out the number of years it will take the operator to turn a profit on a site.

The yearly maintenance bill alone for operators here is huge.....think of it: operators here have to have crews be ready to go up mountains in all weathers at any time of the day or night if there's a problem. Now imagine the same maintenance in London: mostly city centre sites, indoor installations, readily accessible day and night and don't require hours and hours just to get to the site. Take it from someone that's been on nearly even mountain site in this country, I'd much rather spend the day surveying 4 city sites than one site buried deep in a forest with off-road driving in the back end of the Mayo hills.

It's just not comparing apples with apples.

Matt Bauer

If you re-read what I said, you will see that I did not say that Ireland being small isn't a factor. I'm sure it is. At the same time, I am also sure that it is far from the only reason why we pay more in so many cases.

And the UK consists of more than just London.

kopite davo

ShaneU wrote: »

The equivalent three tariff in Ireland http://www.three.ie/products_services/priceplans/relax150.htm

€29 a month

150 3-to-3 minutes
Up to 300 Flexi-Units
(1 unit = 1 min. of talk time to any network anytime or 3 texts or 1Mb of Internet usage)

terrible deal.

you can upgrade to the 3gs at the moment, and you get 1gb of data aswell so not so bad.
i m with them, just waiting for the ip4

OCD

Matt Bauer wrote: »

If you re-read what I said, you will see that I did not say that Ireland being small isn't a factor. I'm sure it is. At the same time, I am also sure that it is far from the only reason why we pay more in so many cases.

And the UK consists of more than just London.

I'm well aware that the UK consists of more than just London but if you re-read my post, you'll see that I'm saying that you are not comparing like with like.

I'm happy to debate the price of goods and services in a similarly sized country, geographically, population density, etc. but so many people here come in and spout UK tariff horse that it's boring.

We are charged what the market (us punters) can bear and we will never have the buying power of the UK public, not for phones, food, clothes and what ever else we pay more for here because we have a small population.

Evergreen

OCD wrote: »

We are charged what the market (us punters) can bear and we will never have the buying power of the UK public, not for phones, food, clothes and what ever else we pay more for here because we have a small population.

I agree 100%

The networks charge what they want becuase we are willing to pay then what they ask. The only way to get better prices is for us all to reduce our spend, then the networks will feel it where it hurts and try to get us all moving again by reducing prices

Matt Bauer

Austria, with a population of 8 million, not even twice that of Ireland, will never have the buying power of the UK either. It's also a difficult and expensive country to cover due to all the mountains. 3G and mobile coverage is excellent there, even deep into the Alps. I went mountain walking there 2 years ago, and usually had excellent 3G coverage even in remote villages, mountain passes and deep into the Alps. Even where there was no FM radio reception anymore my mobile still worked.

Yet using a mobile phone there is cheaper than even the UK.

For example, 3 in Austria offer 1000 any network minutes, 1000 3-3 minutes, 1000 any network SMS messages and 1 GB of data for €12.80 a month.

This whole "it's because Ireland is a small country" argument is getting tired and old. It's all about what the market will bear, you're spot on there. But the other thing is bull****.

naasrd

Matt Bauer wrote: »

Austria, with a population of 8 million, not even twice that of Ireland, will never have the buying power of the UK either. It's also a difficult and expensive country to cover due to all the mountains. 3G and mobile coverage is excellent there, even deep into the Alps.

This whole "it's because Ireland is a small country" argument is getting tired and old. It's all about what the market will bear, you're spot on there. But the other thing is bull****.

There's a significant portion of the population who are led by the nose and pay whatever the asking price is for anything. Until they get a backbone and start saying no we'll continue to be ripped off.

Four of a kind

Matt Bauer wrote: »

Austria, with a population of 8 million, not even twice that of Ireland, will never have the buying power of the UK either. It's also a difficult and expensive country to cover due to all the mountains. 3G and mobile coverage is excellent there, even deep into the Alps. I went mountain walking there 2 years ago, and usually had excellent 3G coverage even in remote villages, mountain passes and deep into the Alps. Even where there was no FM radio reception anymore my mobile still worked.

Yet using a mobile phone there is cheaper than even the UK.

For example, 3 in Austria offer 1000 any network minutes, 1000 3-3 minutes, 1000 any network SMS messages and 1 GB of data for €12.80 a month.

This whole "it's because Ireland is a small country" argument is getting tired and old. It's all about what the market will bear, you're spot on there. But the other thing is bull****.

Mother of God that's unbelievable......your telling lies! :eek::eek::eek:

woodzie

Its actually true. Cant believe that offer either. Had to check it out, here is the link:

http://www.drei.at/portal/de/privat/tarife/3wahnsim/3WahnSIM.html

I dont buy the fact that because we're a small country we should be more expensive. If you take london for example. seeing as there is so many people in a large area that is going to put serious pressure on the network therefore the company will have to constantly invest in their networks over there in order to keep up with the capacity that is required. I read somewhere it was costing O2 UK an absolute fortune trying to roll out more capacity on there network in the UK thanks to the explosion in data usage especially in the cities, so they have introduced caps now to try limit data usage.

culabula

Matt Bauer wrote: »

Austria, with a population of 8 million, not even twice that of Ireland, will never have the buying power of the UK either. It's also a difficult and expensive country to cover due to all the mountains. 3G and mobile coverage is excellent there, even deep into the Alps. I went mountain walking there 2 years ago, and usually had excellent 3G coverage even in remote villages, mountain passes and deep into the Alps. Even where there was no FM radio reception anymore my mobile still worked.

Yet using a mobile phone there is cheaper than even the UK.

For example, 3 in Austria offer 1000 any network minutes, 1000 3-3 minutes, 1000 any network SMS messages and 1 GB of data for €12.80 a month.

This whole "it's because Ireland is a small country" argument is getting tired and old. It's all about what the market will bear, you're spot on there. But the other thing is bull****.

Except that with the advent of iPad and iPhone 4, 3UK are now offering thousands of minutes, SMS and 3-3 minutes + data for a very small outlay too.

kopite davo

phoned 3 today, would not give a any clues as to when ip4 out.
dragging on and on. at least if we had a date aaaaarrrrggghh

donkey balls

kopite davo wrote: »

phoned 3 today, would not give a any clues as to when ip4 out.
dragging on and on. at least if we had a date aaaaarrrrggghh

i was told by someone iin a 3 store that it should be out around mid july along with the HTC desire and some other new models, but 3 is having problems with the firmware loaded onto newer phones:eek: hence the delay.
i might just get an iphone4 rather than waste my upgrade im still waiting on the nokia n8 to be released.