Tesco, O2 hook up to sell mobile phones

cheema

Tesco and O2 are getting together to offer Tesco-branded mobile services in Ireland.
The joint venture, Tesco Mobile, will use an 089 number prefix and will launch next summer, initially with pre-paid services, to be followed up with a bill paying service later.

http://www.rte.ie/business/2006/1219/tesco.html?rss

drdre

cheema wrote:

Tesco and O2 are getting together to offer Tesco-branded mobile services in Ireland.
The joint venture, Tesco Mobile, will use an 089 number prefix and will launch next summer, initially with pre-paid services, to be followed up with a bill paying service later.

http://www.rte.ie/business/2006/1219/tesco.html?rss

its already launched they are selling the already in tesco dundrum.But they have a crap range of phones

BuffyBot

Be interesting to see how it pans out. The UK network offers relatively good value for PAYG customers, though not always the cheapest. However, the rates they offer are "simple" and appeal to their customers through the awarding of clubcard points etc. I'd imagine the model will be brought across in a very similar manner in Ireland

Ruu_Old

Prepare for...

Dellas

I dont think it will shake anything up here. It will be a low key basic product. I dont know anyone who is with Tesco Mobile in the UK . Unless they are going to offer something amazing I cant see people with Meteor or 3 switching. Maybe VF or O2 customers who want to switch to something else may go for it. It cant do any harm though. Will be interesting to see their call/price plans. I guess it will be the same network coverage as the current O2 one.

Random

Dellas - it will succeed. It may not challenege Vodafone and O2 but it will take off. Old ladys doing their shopping will buy a phone for their grandkid, then for an Aunt etc etc. There's no reason it won't take off, even if it's slow.

In other news, who said that .. the 089 is active now?

bennyx_o

Depending on how cheap they are in comparison to O2 Vodafone etc, I think alot of parents will buy them for their kids with the attitude that their cheap enough to replace if one gets lost or broken etc.

byte

drdre wrote:

its already launched they are selling the already in tesco dundrum.But they have a crap range of phones

Are you sure it's not just O2 phones that Tesco are currently selling?

In Tesco here, it's O2 and Meteor phones they're selling.

@Ruu: Even that phone doesn't look cheap and tacky enough to warrant the "Tesco value" label!

Gillo

According to the press release they are not due to be launched until summer 2007.

1huge1

could they put pressure on O2 to get their 3G service up and running yes no maybe... they could use O2's 3G licence couldnt they?

i must say for a country of 4.5million people or so having 5 networks is fairly impressive

BuffyBot

They don't support 3G in the UK at the moment, so I don't think they'll put too much pressure on O2 Ireland to enable it.

rogue-entity

@1huge1: Technically, we still have 4 networks, not 5. Tesco Mobile are going to use O2's network.

Since O2's 3G network is seperate form O2's GSM network, O2 can let Tesco Mobile onto their GSM network, but not on 3G network.
Because Voda and O2 are letting local operators use their networks for backup coverage, and now O2 are letting Tesco use its network, its only a matter of time before Vodafone has to compitulate and do the same. 3 also have an obligation to allow MVNOs onto their network, so I can see Meteor roaming onto 3 soon enough to provide a 3G service.

dolittle

got a phone for my daughter in tescos at the weekend, can she put her sim card from her present phone into the new phone, both o2 and pay as you go phones. dont want to try it out now as its a christmas present

1huge1

rogue-entity wrote:

@1huge1: Technically, we still have 4 networks, not 5. Tesco Mobile are going to use O2's network.

Since O2's 3G network is seperate form O2's GSM network, O2 can let Tesco Mobile onto their GSM network, but not on 3G network.
Because Voda and O2 are letting local operators use their networks for backup coverage, and now O2 are letting Tesco use its network, its only a matter of time before Vodafone has to compitulate and do the same. 3 also have an obligation to allow MVNOs onto their network, so I can see Meteor roaming onto 3 soon enough to provide a 3G service.

ya now that you mention it i do remember hearing something about metoer using 3 netowkr to offer a 3G service
but in saying that it was before smart lost their licence so maybe meteor could still get a licence of their own assuming eircom (badbrock and brown) go after it)

Stepherunie

dolittle wrote:

got a phone for my daughter in tescos at the weekend, can she put her sim card from her present phone into the new phone, both o2 and pay as you go phones. dont want to try it out now as its a christmas present

Shouldn't be any problem it they're both o2 phones and she's got an o2 sim.

1huge1

dolittle wrote:

got a phone for my daughter in tescos at the weekend, can she put her sim card from her present phone into the new phone, both o2 and pay as you go phones. dont want to try it out now as its a christmas present

ya its always preety much a safe bet if their the same network

Oracle

The phones in Tesco say there's a special 10c per min rate to any O2 number, any time, but they don't say what the charges are to phone other networks.

Random

Is 089 launching then? Or are these just O2 phones being sold in Tesco atm?

Cabaal

Three having been selling phones in Tesvco's for some time now

byrnefm

ciaranfo wrote:

Is 089 launching then? Or are these just O2 phones being sold in Tesco atm?

I think it was in the Irish Independent yesterday that I saw that Tesco will be using 089.

Whatever happened to 084?

telecomsman

089 is the prefix reserved for MVNOs,Mobile Virtual Network Operators, Tesco will be assigned a number range within this such as 089779XXXX and so on depending on what their expectations are with regard to take up.

Although it doesnt specify in the article I read, I presume the initial offering is GSM/GPRS only but it would make sense for access to the UMTS network be provided to Tesco if the business model holds up.

On the Meteor 3G issue, I believe Eircom Ltd have been offered the 3G licence that Smart lost and if this is taken up it does open the door for Meteor. Again all these decisions are based on the business model being right....currently the expense of rolling out a 3G network versus the forecasted revenue doesnt really add up. Vodafone launched with a highly problematic product but it was important for them to be seen to "lead the market" in terms of technical provision....O2 have followed suit with a business product on the back of its 3G network and are heavily reliant on iMode to be the "killer service" on their customer offering. With HSDPA and other high speed access technologies being rolled out however the playing field could change in the next 12 months to one where any MO worth its salt has high speed access...HSDPA,FMC or whatever.

There are some excellent high speed access technologies in test with existing MO's and telecoms companies but NDAs prevent me from going into more detail.

1huge1

byrnefm wrote:

I think it was in the Irish Independent yesterday that I saw that Tesco will be using 089.

Whatever happened to 084?

that was with smart telecom but with the problems they are having of late i wouldn't hold your breath

ardmacha

Whatever happened to 084?

and of course long before that it was the code for Belfast!

Dellas

ardmacha wrote:

and of course long before that it was the code for Belfast!

We used to dial 080 for Belfast and now its 048 , was there another one also???

jimbob

Just expect more mvno operators to hitting the market.
O2 are just leading the way with this...

1huge1

^^ ya i heard bt and the likes talking about it

side note
since ya mentioned belfast
how come when we ring the north we use 048 but when they ring us 0044 comes up on our phone (the UK code)
and their code for mobiles is 0044
and calling them abroad is totally different
why isnt it all 0044 for them as its all 00353 for the republic
(sorry really wanted to find out but didnt see the need in creating a new topic thanks)

Random

1huge1 wrote:

^^ ya i heard bt and the likes talking about it

side note
since ya mentioned belfast
how come when we ring the north we use 048 but when they ring us 0044 comes up on our phone (the UK code)
and their code for mobiles is 0044
and calling them abroad is totally different
why isnt it all 0044 for them as its all 00353 for the republic
(sorry really wanted to find out but didnt see the need in creating a new topic thanks)

There's always a need for a new topic if it's unrelated to the one you're in

rogue-entity

03 was used to direct-dial UK numbers. So if your UK number was 020 1234567 from here you would dial something like 03 20 1234567 IIRC.
048 is a drop in replacement for the NI area code when dialing from here, and you get charged at standard national rates. Annoyingly this would also have been true for the 03 prefix, now we get charged more because we have to use the international prefix.

What would be perfect is a unified international code for the whole of the EU. For countries like Ireland, the change wouldnt be so significant, but other countries like Germany, the change would be more noticable.
A dublin number 01 1234567
From the UK, 1 53 1 1234567
From the US +3 53 1 1234567.

Anyway, to get back on topic, 082, 084 and 088 are all free to use, so there is room for 3 other networks to have their own ranges.