3 delays X-series again

Urban Weigl

Originally slated for a December or January launch, 3 Ireland have delayed the launch of X-series in Ireland yet again, even though it has been available in Northern Ireland and the UK for 8 months now.

The latest is that it may be available in July here, but even that is tentative.

Ireland is now virtually the only territory that has been left out from X-series. I think this is an opportunity for O2 here. If they could launch Skype, mobile web access, podcasts and possible mobile bebo/myspace/facebook and/or YouTube access for a reasonable fee a month, they would make a killing. Poor 3 with just 1.6% market share. By the way, I am amazed at O2's planned 3G rollout in my area. Even tiny towns like Ballinlough seem to be getting O2 3G in the coming months, towns which have neither 3 or Vodafone 3G coverage. I really hope they leverage that.

1huge1

and in more depressing news tesco mobile have pushed their release in ireland back to the end of the year... how sad

I dont know why people say northern ireland and the UK like, there the same thing

BuffyBot

Poor 3 with just 1.6% market share

In fairness, Meteor had a p*ss poor market share for years too.

The X-Series will be good for a small number of people, but for the majority it won't be a deal breaker, which is possibly why they aren't too pushed about it.

Solair

It's very much a case of different products in different markets. 3 Ireland's products here haven't been bad. Those mobile broadband products are a lot more useful than some of the X Series stuff. Skype would be handy, but there's nothing too magic about X-Series other than branding.

Sponge Bob

The "opportunity" for O2 would exist were O2 able to move rapidly to take advantage of it !

Yeah

Urban Weigl

Sponge Bob wrote:

The "opportunity" for O2 would exist were O2 able to move rapidly to take advantage of it !

Yeah

Though you are probably right, I think that would be a shame, since they have the customer service and network to really take the market by storm. I also hear O2 may be keen on re-using their existing GSM 900 allocation for additional 3G capacity and rural coverage.

Sponge Bob

O2 most certainly have the CS, it was always OK but seems to have improved quite a bit in recent years to be the best of any tier1 Irish telco .Thats meant a compliment , I wish the rest were anywhere near them. Not being in Dublin has really delivered for O2.

They can hire and retain quality staff in Limerick unlike the semi literate skanks and barely english speaking euro fluff you get in CS in Dublin and at the same cost as the crappy staff eircom have in citywest or bt out in the docks or voda with its unreconstructed telecom eireann biddies down in sandyford . Why do you think voda expanded in Dundalk years ago not in Dublin ????

O2 do not have enough techies in senior decision making positions or maybe not enough techies full stop , voda (then eircell) has always been better endowed there and took business mobile data seriously from when they rolled out 43k HSCSD in about 2000.

O2 were still peddling a 9.6k slot as the dogs back then ...and for a long time afterwards and were gushing about the slot widening to 14.4k

O2 did not launch GPRS first or 3g first or 3g data packages ...first.....or HSDPA .....yet.

O2 trialled wimax in rural areas in 2005 and shut it down completely in 2006 ...leaving the triallists with gprs yet again

The network is still behind voda and 3 in terms of 3g reach although they may have accelerated the rollout in recent times and may accelerate the acceleration in future . They would be well advised to ensure they stay ahead of eircom even though eircom have not even launched 3g yet .

In short O2 have never , to my mind, taken data seriously and have never resourced the research and sale and support of data products . It would take quite some time to ramp this up. Hence my grave scepticism about any 'rapid' initiatives by O2.

OTOH , 3 have such inutterably awful CS that only ultra mega keen pricing and 14 day no quibble trials and the like could ever make them attractive .

1huge1

^^ yes I agree, people on this board seem to be thinking far to highly of O2 in terms of what they've done, there rarely first

Interesting about what you said about the cs being in Limerick, maybe its besides the point but we have the highest amount of foreigners in ireland outside dublin (due to shannon)

chrislad

BuffyBot wrote:

In fairness, Meteor had a p*ss poor market share for years too.

That was due to coverage though. Three have fine coverage from what I gather and from what I've used of them. Meteor are still getting rid of the coverage stigma, which is silly, as I've had little coverage issues. Less so than O2 in my area.

BuffyBot

Solair wrote:

It's very much a case of different products in different markets. 3 Ireland's products here haven't been bad. Those mobile broadband products are a lot more useful than some of the X Series stuff. Skype would be handy, but there's nothing too magic about X-Series other than branding.

I think a lot of people forget that the Skype on 3 only allows you to call other Skype users too. It's a not the full VOIP replacement it might seem at first as it doesn't provide access to calling out normal numbers.

Useful for some, if you have extensive Skype contacts, but not for everyone.

AlmightyCushion

Urban Weigl wrote:

Originally slated for a December or January launch, 3 Ireland have delayed the launch of X-series in Ireland yet again, even though it has been available in Northern Ireland and the UK for 8 months now.

The latest is that it may be available in July here, but even that is tentative.

Ireland is now virtually the only territory that has been left out from X-series. I think this is an opportunity for O2 here. If they could launch Skype, mobile web access, podcasts and possible mobile bebo/myspace/facebook and/or YouTube access for a reasonable fee a month, they would make a killing. Poor 3 with just 1.6% market share. By the way, I am amazed at O2's planned 3G rollout in my area. Even tiny towns like Ballinlough seem to be getting O2 3G in the coming months, towns which have neither 3 or Vodafone 3G coverage. I really hope they leverage that.

Well I can get throught to bebo on my 3 phone and it works very well as do most sites.

Blaster99

Urban Weigl wrote:

Ireland is now virtually the only territory that has been left out from X-series.

What's so amazing about the X-Series really? They have very competitive generic internet access now (at least for contract customers) which should cover most bases.

Urban Weigl

Basically it's the bundle of services that you get for £5 a month, including unlimited (subject to a 1GB fair use restriction) access to the Internet, Skype, and many other services. Have a look at http://xseries.three.co.uk/xseries/index.omp

It's really not any single service, but the way these services are combined. Not only does the internet add on cost more (€20 is not £5, even with the strong sterling), but it also leaves out services. For example, Skype on X-series has brilliant sound quality because it routes the calls as ordinary GSM calls. Fring does not, and sounds really tinny.

There's also Mobilcast, and for an extra fiver you can stream live TV right from your home television, as well as browse your home PC and stream MP3's and documents. These services don't come out of your 1GB fair use quota, which is only used up by accessing the internet directly and not using these services.

culabula

1huge1 wrote:

and in more depressing news tesco mobile have pushed their release in ireland back to the end of the year... how sad

I dont know why people say northern ireland and the UK like, there the same thing

Try ordering something online, buying insurance, getting free delivery and so on....you'll soon find out how much of a "UK" it is.

1huge1

good point, you see a lot of ads on english tv adverising something and at the end you see excluding northern ireland
shame shame

sorry coudltn help it

culabula

1huge1 wrote:

good point, you see a lot of ads on english tv adverising something and at the end you see excluding northern ireland
shame shame

sorry coudltn help it

:-)

Urban Weigl

It's been delayed until at least the end of July now.

randomer

Urban Weigl wrote:

It's been delayed until at least the end of July now.

The phones are in the three stores already. I say a nokia e65 at the weekend in the shop in Swords.

I spoke to three today and they said that there was another delay but it should be later this week?

Where did you hear it had been delayed until the end of july?

Urban Weigl

randomer wrote:

Where did you hear it had been delayed until the end of july?

I asked them when I called up about my 3DataModem. Was told it has been delayed now until at least the end of July. Pricing has also been withdrawn as they're re-evaluating it apparently.

randomer

Urban Weigl wrote:

I asked them when I called up about my 3DataModem. Was told it has been delayed now until at least the end of July. Pricing has also been withdrawn as they're re-evaluating it apparently.

The store manager in Swords told me that there would be two packages. Gold and Silver. 19.99 and 15.00 per month.

Terrontress

My N73 came in an X-Series box with the X-Series software on it.

To be honest, given that I have mobile broadband and orb already, I can't see it being that much of an incentive.

In the UK, if you sign a new contract to 3 X-Series, you get a Slingbox for free, which I would like but I am told by a friend that I can use the Orb to link into the media center on my PC and watch recorded TV so there is no real need for live TV.

amby666

randomer wrote:

The phones are in the three stores already. I say a nokia e65 at the weekend in the shop in Swords.

I spoke to three today and they said that there was another delay but it should be later this week?

Where did you hear it had been delayed until the end of july?

I asked in Henry St today. Phones are in, launch next week. Seemed quite sure.

quintron

^^ they are always "quite sure" in the shops I'm afraid..

jimmycrackcorm

Terrontress wrote:

My N73 came in an X-Series box with the X-Series software on it.

To be honest, given that I have mobile broadband and orb already, I can't see it being that much of an incentive.

In the UK, if you sign a new contract to 3 X-Series, you get a Slingbox for free, which I would like but I am told by a friend that I can use the Orb to link into the media center on my PC and watch recorded TV so there is no real need for live TV.

I think that the mobile BB add-on is actually only 2GB but X-series allows fair use for ORb and skype. In the UK it is up to 80 hours / month of Orb access.

paulbds

I have x -series on 3. I find it very useful -bear in mind that as a frequent visitor to Ireland I can still use my internet allowance and all the 3 services (Skype/Orb/Slingbox ext) whilst in a 3 partner area for no extra charge
I have the E65 but i am going to get a sim free Toshiba G900 as soon as the bugs have been ironedout. Yes I got a free slingbox with my X series deal - -hold out for a slingbox if you get the chance - -you can always flog it on ebay
Paul

culabula

Just spoke to Thrindia there; the good thing is that I rarely have to call them but I just had to phone re my X-Series Silver add-on today as I was convinced that it had not been applied correctly, as none of my major apps on the N95 would work. Polite, courteous and helpful to a....fault, in fact the biggest one is that they became really boring as they over-explained things that I already knew but which I suppose the Great Unwashed don't, so while tedious, is not really their fault. Despite initial scepticism they agreed to de-activate and then re-activate my X-Series. Unfortunately for them, it worked like a charm and I was vindicated and have successfully sought a refund.

While I had them on the phone, I asked if they could unlock my E61 which they agreed to do -at all times they were so polite and beautifully spoken. I paid the dosh and they sent me the code. Only problem is.....all they sent me was my serial number back to me. So here goes, another 20-odd minutes of extreme politeness. on the phone. D'oh. No wonder the battery life is cack on the N95.

Chardee MacDennis

culabula wrote:

Despite initial scepticism they agreed to de-activate and then re-activate my X-Series. Unfortunately for them, it worked like a charm and I was vindicated and have successfully sought a refund.

i completely dont understand! what is the point of this?

why was there scepticism? why was it unfortunate for them? why are you vindicated and why did you get a refund?

culabula

Call_me_al wrote:

i completely dont understand! what is the point of this?

why was there scepticism? why was it unfortunate for them? why are you vindicated and why did you get a refund?

Sorry if I wan't clear: the point is to anticipate the arrival of X-Series here and any potential problems using my incident as an illustration. If you have issues get them to deactivate and reactivate.


They were sceptical because a) they wouldn't accept that they could possibly not apply X-Series correctly and that b) the N95 is not an officially supported phone. I used logic to out-argue them and their blessed scripts and convinced them to do as I asked. They did so on the spot and I was vindicated because it worked -immediately- and now the full X-Series Silver is working as it should.

Unfortunate for them because they were forced to admit that I was right all along and they had cocked up. They refunded me because I have been unable to use it properly since it was applied.

Chardee MacDennis

ok

culabula

Then they phoned back and sheepishly gace me the correct code for the E61! Which is cool.

And now I have the brand-new Windows Live for S60 running permanently on my N95 -with the little Messenger logo running just above the 3 logo. It is just great! Vive X-Series.

quintron

Quick 333 chat and I was told a mid to end of August for x-series release.. I honestly don't know why I bother...