Vodafone Ireland's new flat price datacard

As predicted, Vodafone has come in with a new €50 per month (including Vat) flat fee for its 3G datacard service. On top of this, it's upgrading its network to HSDPA -- which hits up to 1.2Mbs now and a promised 11Mbs within months -- starting in Dublin this October. Two thirds of the country's population will have access to the HSDPA network by October 2007, according to Vodafone Ireland. No word from O2 or Meteor as to their pricing response, though it had better be sharpish. Most punters get fleeced on the pay-per-data-downloaded model, which has failed the mobile industry badly (and which Vodafone now admits). 3 appears not to give a damn. And get ready for slashed monthly wi-fi subscriptions, too -- who the hell will pay up to €150 per month (take a bow, BT Openzone) for access to the internet in a handful of hotels and cafes when you can get an entire city's roaming for €50?

Comments

[James Corbett]

I can't find anythinng about this on their website Adrian. Any idea when it will go live?

[Adrian]

Corporate websites are often the last to be informative.

It's July 1st.

[James Corbett]

Thanks Adrian. If the datacard is just a little better than my old Nokia 6630 at holding a 3G signal then I'll be a definite customer.

[John R]

If the mobile networks have any sense, they will make a proposal to the government to roll this out nationwide to reach us poor 56k-ers who cannot get broadband thanks to eircom's antics, and see if they can get any subsidies.

If I can get HSDPA down here in rural Wicklow, I will happily shell out every month to whoever can offer me the best deal and reception.

Roll on with the roll-out!

[Nige]

I seam to recall seeing a usage cap of 1GB on the 50eur package

[Adrian]

It's 5GB, according to Vodafone.

[Mo]

Is there any chance of renting the equipment for visiting business travelers?

Not that I'm aware of, Mo. Think if you asked, they'd try and suggest their wi-fi network (small as it is)...