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April 13, 2006
Screw wi-fi, HSDPA is on the way
At the start of the year I appealed to the mobile operators - "Give me a flat rate GPRS/3G plan, get a new customer". Mercifully it looks like Vodafone have seen the light and according to Adrian Weckler are even going one better -
Vodafone Ireland will launch new 1.2Mbs data card products for laptop users later this year. The technology, HSDPA (higher speed data packet access) is designed to give far faster internet access speeds than its current 3G datacards.
Wooohoooo! Unmetered 3.5G? If Vodafone don't gouge us in the pricing I could be retiring my wi-fi card for good. [Thanks Damien].
10:30 AM in IrishBlogs, Mobile/Wireless | Permalink
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Comments
So...can we expect an ExpressCard/34 format with nationwide coverage?
Posted by: MJ | Apr 13, 2006 4:15:46 PM
This would be so awesome it'd hurt! MJ I doubt it'd be ExpressCard but we can hope, AFAIK there is hardly a single EVDO card in the US that's ExpressCard so I doubt we stand a chance.
Incidentally James I was only looking at this the other day. Our charges are even higher than the Vodafone UK charges! I'm also pretty sure our charges have gone up for the 3G Mobile Connect product.
Posted by: Dave | Apr 13, 2006 10:52:24 PM
When was the last time a mobile provider surprised us with decent pricing? They live on a different planet, I expect something like 1 gig limit for the low low price of €200 a month.
Then they'll wonder why no-one takes it up and cite "no demand for broadband in Ireland"
Posted by: potato | Apr 17, 2006 11:13:58 PM
I dunno about that potato - I think a new reality may finally be dawning on the mobile operators. I know I'll definitely be prepared to pay a premium for this service if coverage in my pocket of the countryside is up to scratch. Then again that premium will be paid for by 'the business' so its easi(er) for me to say so.
Posted by: James Corbett | Apr 18, 2006 10:05:05 AM
I'd be willing to take that bet with you James!
I very much doubt it'll be 'all you can eat' data at a reasonable price.
Posted by: Ed Byrne | Apr 20, 2006 4:57:59 PM
Ok Ed, you're on! Define 'reasonable' and then name your price B-)
Posted by: James Corbett | Apr 20, 2006 11:48:48 PM
The only way this will work in our favour is if the mobile networks roll out HSDPA before normal broadband gets rolled out to rural areas, and that they can capitalise on the demand for high speed internet and lack of local loop unbundling from people who cannot get it for whatever reason.
Even then, there may be issues about how many people in a given location can share an HSDPA connection at once.
Being stuck with no broadband access myself due to being too far from the nearest exchange (too far being about 2.8 miles), I would not pay over €50 for HSDPA.
I currently pay €26.99 a month to BT Ireland...
Posted by: John | Apr 23, 2006 5:00:45 AM
