3 Network In Ireland

dubadubdub

No free web text, charges to call voice mail - hardly the white heat of competition we had hoped for.

IMHO Meteor are the only operator that tries to win business by offering value for money, I switched to them four months ago after years of being fleeced by vodafone and have saved about 15 - 20 euro a month. 3's aim will be to get us to think we really need video calls and then charge for lame content (at 50c a min after the initial promotion!) - this will be dressed up as added value and then used as an excuse to not offer lower prices. I think they may have got the marketing wrong.

BuffyBot

ross_castle wrote:

fifty friggin cent

I don't think that's the cost of calls or texts over your monthly bundle - I think thats video calls after the 30c offer expires

medO

You can take an 083 phone hardly anywhere. They only have roaming agreements with 10 countries.

They charge a whopping 99c per minute for receiving calls while roaming in most of these countries – the general norm within Europe is about 35c.

They charge for calls to retrieve voicemail even on their network.

Most of their content appears to be neither Irish, nor European, nor even Chinese.

Some of their call charges are “promotional offers”, valid only until 31.12.2005.

They received their license three years ago. If this is all they have been able to put together over that period… What a waste of valuable spectrum!

In their entry in the “cartel” website they list their Irish website as www.three.co.uk !
Perhaps these idiots think that Ireland is the Isle of Man or Gibraltar? !


medO

www.3ireland.ie
www.gsm.org

ciderandhavoc

paulm17781 wrote:

The thing that annoys me is the 25 Euro options

200 voice minutes, 300 text messages, 100 voice minutes & 100 text messages.

If the voice and text one had 50 more texts I would be slightly more impressed, probably not enough to stop whinging though.

three packages for €25

VideoTalk - 200 minutes (works out at 12.5 c per minute) (normal cost 15c)

VideoText - 300 texts (works out at 8.3c per text) (normal cost 9c)

VideoTalk&Text - 100 minutes and 100 texts - that's not even half of either, so if you assume from the above packs, you're actually getting 20% less value by availing of both packages, and with normal texts cosing 9c and calls costing 15c - it works out as follows

Talk 200 minutes (normal cost 30 saving of 5)
Text 300 texts (normal cost 27 saving of 3)
Talk&Text 100 of each (normal cost 21 *cost* of 4)

You actually pay more for calls and texts by availing of both, so choose one text pack or voice to actually save (i know it's small, but i'd send more than ten messages a day, justifying the 300 texts. i doubt i'd make 100min of calls a month).

I emailed customer services and then called them, they said the voicemail would be charged "within your minutes" and then outside charges after that, which is 15c per minute - shame, this is a let down compared to everything else on offer.

Dear David,

Thank you for your enquiry.
You can find comprehensive pricing information on the pricing section on our website. It's located on the right hand side of the page under the tab for "See also".
Videomail is charged at €0.30 per minute outside of your allowance and voicemail is charged at €0.15 per minute again outside of your package allowance.
I hope that this helps out.



Kind regards
3 Customer Services
0833 333 333
Welcome to our Network
www.3ireland.ie

wheresmybeaver

I think the 3 plans are pretty good value. €25 for 100 texts and 100 minutes. I usually wouldnt go over 100 minutes a month, and texts after that are only 9c compared to 13c on my O2 plan. But, no webtext... I send at least 80 texts a month off that.

Having said that, I still think I could save at least €15 off my bill a month.

Worth looking into in the future. I'll be waiting for a Sony Ericsson 3G phone to come out first.

Oh yeah, forgot about the video features.. News on demand (via video) would be pretty cool, except I just checked and it seems the provider is ITN. Hmmm dunno how relevent that kinda news would be to me!

JTMan

The Old trick ... Focus on cheap text and cheap minutes (and man are the minutes in the bill pay packages much cheap when compared to O2/Voda) but to hell with all other charges that a lot of people do not look at when switching ...

Before switching it is worth remembering ...

* Expensive International calls (far more expensive than Meteor)
* 25 C International texts (15C with meteor and I easily send 100 of them a month so it matters)
* No Web Texts (250-300 with the others)
* Pay to Access your own voicemail (Thats a low as O2)
* You can only roam in 10 countires (132 with Meteor).
* No porting for now

Plus If I switch I will loose my unlimited free meteor texts and the minutes that can be used to UK mobiles.

IMHO, Meteor Minutes 75 is a much better package than 3 Video text and talk 200 for now.

There is a lot in these packages for many O2/Voda customers that are been ripped off but many Meteor customers may think twice before switching (esp with their revamped talk packages).

Pythia

Yes but new Meteor customers no longer get free Meteor - Meteor texts, and can't include UK calls in their inclusive mins. And Meteor minutes is gone.

BuffyBot

except I just checked and it seems the provider is ITN

Apparently RTE news will be replacing it fairly soon

You can only roam in 10 countires (132 with Meteor).

I'm really surprised how the ball has been dropped on this. I'm assuming it'll get better - Three UK billpay customers can roam in 150 countries.

SaltySeaDog

what about all the free 3g content you get along with this, news, football etc so not only are you getting a good package, there is addtional content at no extra cost...

news is from ITN for the moment but on the 3 services menu, a tab was added today for RTE news, it just says it's coming soon, i think in the UK they have about 20+ tabs in their service menu, only 12 or so so far on irish one but they will get added with time i expect

for football fans, the goal highlights is great i think but am suprised that is free but seems to be

i was bit suprised at the price of the phones to be honest, thought they would be cheaper but i think the packages are good value...

had good look at motorolas today, they're definitely the best video quality in my opinion,think the 975 is a great deal, E1000 has the widescreen option which is good for watching vids

next question now is where exactly have they got 3g coverage????

j26

Fungus wrote:

Before switching it is worth remembering ...

* Expensive International calls (far more expensive than Meteor)
* 25 C International texts (15C with meteor and I easily send 100 of them a month so it matters)
* No Web Texts (250-300 with the others)
* Pay to Access your own voicemail (Thats a low as O2)
* You can only roam in 10 countires (132 with Meteor).
* No porting for now

So,
if I don't make international calls or texts on an anyway regular basis, don't use the webtexts much (10ish per month), don't use voicemail, don't foresee myself travelling much in the next couple of years (and I like being incommunicado on holidays), then it's actually quite a good deal.

There is no best tarriff for everyone. Different providers have different strengths. This one is no different, and it seems to suit me best.

However the number porting is a b@stard, and I will wait until I can take my number with me. When it does I'll be there, unless other operators offer a better deal in the meantime. There is a fair chance of that after the Eircom/Meteor deal.


*awaits better offer from shaken up mobile market*

ShockBlast RX8

They Have Launched but not set up there Pay as You go Phones yet they have a very small amount of phones and now 083 is on the market now Still dont see them set up shop yet ? In UK there stores are usualy in SuperDrug stores dont know if there going to be retail at the moment

drdre

guys three is up and running just got there email. anyway does anyone know how i can get a cool number like 08333333333 or 0837777777 .

you know what i mean please pm me if u have any details thanks guys

Bard

medO wrote:

In their entry in the “cartel” website they list their Irish website as www.three.co.uk !
Perhaps these idiots think that Ireland is the Isle of Man or Gibraltar? !

Or perhaps they're not idiots and they were trying to negotiate the purchase of www.three.ie (- didn't get it, obviously) ... at the time and had to submit something as their URL.

Their price plans look interesting. I look forward to seeing them launch a pre-paid service.

ShockBlast RX8 wrote:

They Have Launched but not set up there Pay as You go Phones yet they have a very small amount of phones and now 083 is on the market now Still dont see them set up shop yet ? In UK there stores are usualy in SuperDrug stores dont know if there going to be retail at the moment

The Carphone Warehouse and 3G Stores seem to be their main dealers in Ireland for the moment. See here.

drdre wrote:

guys three is up and running just got there email. anyway does anyone know how i can get a cool number like 08333333333 or 0837777777 .

You can't have 083 3333333 because 3 are using it as a contact number for themselves. Other "cool" numbers like that are generally called "Golden Numbers" by the mobile networks and you can get one by asking 3 or a 3 dealer for it. You may have to pay extra for the privilege however.

Solair

Hmmm definitely cant see them getting very many people to switch over with this lack luster offering.

The calls are only "Ok" price-wise ... they're way less compeditive than Meteor on raw price.

Btw, on the international texts: Meteor's text bundles appear to include UK texts, im not sure if this is intententional on their behalf but it's great to be able to text abroad for 5cents.

People arn't going to jump network solely for 3G content and they certainly won't be too keen on jumping without porting their number.

The lack of Prepay seems a bit weird too considering that 3G content mostly appeals to younger users who tend to be prepay.

They've had a long time to launch. I was expecting a LOT more!

Very disappointed -

They'll have to get a LOT more agressive if they plan on actually signing anyone up.

Also, sounds like Meteor / Eircom are about to really start getting very agressive and taking customers from the "big 2". 3 won't have a hope in hell if they don't do something a bit more imaginative than this performance.

For anyone with sense or a grasp of economics Meteor's the only option and I can't fault their service. Their customer care is also streets ahead of the crap I put up with from Vodafone. They deserve business.

If you're on prepay and not on meteor you obviously also like lighting cigerettes with 50euro notes!

3G's basically full of gimics... It's only useful if you have proper mobile internet access, not "walled garden" access like on 3...

j26

Solair wrote:

......If you're on prepay and not on meteor you obviously also like lighting cigerettes with 50euro notes!...

But Meteor signal can be a bit weak outside the main urban areas, and if you live where they have a weak signal, you aren't covered by the roaming agreements, so there are factors other than price to consider.

ciderandhavoc

Not wanting to go off-topic talking about Meteor, but you only get 5c if you buy a bundle of 150 texts, and guess what, you can only buy one bundle every thirty days. I complained to ASAI about this, very misleading, so after 150 text messages, you're back up to 9c with meteor.

What about 3's charges for data, does anyone know how much it'll cost to surf the web, download email, use IM facilities....... and how these charges will compare to the other networks. I get the impression their launch is a bit rushed leaving ambiguity for people alot of people who'd have been waiting to throw themselves at 083.

My sister works for 3G (the store) and said she was told by '3' that voicemail was most likely to be free, and that email would be free as well (with a free @3 email address). Neither seem to have appeared.

SnotNosedGit

I cant tell if the free 3G content is limited or not.

They really need cheaper handsets and some better deals.

I'm going to hold out for a couple of months and see what effect Meteor have on the market - Wouldn't wnat to be tied in for a year to 3 on any of the offers they have at the moment.

Just as an aside. Do you have to pay extra to buy Meteor 5c Meteor to meteor calls. Its not clear on their website.

Its not easy comparing packages at all.

Blaster99

You can't surf the web outside their portal and it's free within the portal. Greatest waste of 3G technology there ever was.

I haven't studied their packages in detail, but the minutes included look like pretty good value to me. It's not exactly a mindblowingly exciting offering and I'm sure they will spruce it up when they get no traction in the market. I need generic 3G data access so they're not for me in any event.

BuffyBot

What about 3's charges for data, does anyone know how much it'll cost to surf the web, download email, use IM facilities

As said above, you can't. You can only connect to 3 provided content.

My sister works for 3G (the store) and said she was told by '3' that voicemail was most likely to be free, and that email would be free as well (with a free @3 email address).

Well voicemail doesn't appear to be free, but as far as I know you should get a free 3 email address which you can send/recieve email on your handset with.

rymus

what has happened over the last day or so? 3 launches with a package that, although being the best offer available at present, is still god awful in the greater scheme of things. Then Meteor (who must be feeling the Eircom pinch already) ditch their minutes tariff and adopt a god awful new set of tariff's. The whole thing smells of the wacky tabacky. I'm disgusted. I wonder if I could avail of a hybrid 3/Vodafone package? Something like free voicemail/webtext with 3's 100mins & texts. Ohh and of course the removal of that stupid firewall that blocks users accessing anything but 3's content. Thats the worst business idea I've heard in a long while. Right, that's my 10:30 rant over, I'll be back at 11:30.

Amnesiac_ie

The lack of competition in the Irish mobile market is beyond a joke. We're being swindled. I came home from Africa to find Vodafone had introduced brand spanking new tarriffs. "At last" I thought, "they must be running scared from the Meteor threat." How wrong I was. Vodafone's Perfect Fit nonsense isn't offering subscribers any extra value. It's complete nonsense. I can't wait until my contract is up. I'm going prepaid and installing a landline. Eircom are nothing compared to the cosy little set up between Vodafone and 02. And I can't see Three and Eircom-Meteor doing much to change that...

paulm17781

Amnesiac_ie wrote:

The lack of competition in the Irish mobile market is beyond a joke. We're being swindled. I came home from Africa to find Vodafone had introduced brand spanking new tarriffs. "At last" I thought, "they must be running scared from the Meteor threat." How wrong I was. Vodafone's Perfect Fit nonsense isn't offering subscribers any extra value. It's complete nonsense. I can't wait until my contract is up. I'm going prepaid and installing a landline. Eircom are nothing compared to the cosy little set up between Vodafone and 02. And I can't see Three and Eircom-Meteor doing much to change that...

Well why not change to 3 or Meteor so? O2/Vodafone will only change when they begin to lose subscribers.

rymus

I doubt O2 or Vodafone will ever change.. Theyre like Eircom. Thats funny.. Theyre like eircom but now Meteor IS eircom. Guess that leaves you with only one choice.

paulm17781

rymus wrote:

I doubt O2 or Vodafone will ever change..

Either way. Better to move to better offers rather than live in hope that they change.

bk

You won't feel the effects of all this new competition immediately, but it will happen.

My prediction is:

As the 3 and Meteor packages are ok but not great, they probably won't steal many customers from Vodafone/o2.

In about 6 to 12 months from now because neither has gotten many customers, their executives will come under massive pressure from their shareholders.

They will both then be forced to cut their prices in a big way and offer lots of freebies like free phones, half price line rental, etc. to attract customers to their network.

About 6 months after that Vodafone/o2 will respond as they see they are losing a lot of customers to 3/Meteor.

Competition doesn't develop quickly, it takes time, 3 is only launching now so they aren't going to offer anything truly ground breaking as they will want to spend the next few months slowly taking on new customers, in order to see how their network is working and iron out any problems, before opening the flood gates to lots of customers.

Because of this the other 3 telcos aren't going to do anything rash, instead they will wait and see what happens. But competition will improve over time.

paulm17781

bk wrote:

You won't feel the effects of all this new competition immediately, but it will happen.

My prediction is:

As the 3 and Meteor packages are ok but not great, they probably won't steal many customers from Vodafone/o2.

In about 6 to 12 months from now because neither has gotten many customers, their executives will come under massive pressure from their shareholders.

They will both then be forced to cut their prices in a big way and offer lots of freebies like free phones, half price line rental, etc. to attract customers to their network.

About 6 months after that Vodafone/o2 will respond as they see they are losing a lot of customers to 3/Meteor.

Competition doesn't develop quickly, it takes time, 3 is only launching now so they aren't going to offer anything truly ground breaking as they will want to spend the next few months slowly taking on new customers, in order to see how their network is working and iron out any problems, before opening the flood gates to lots of customers.

Because of this the other 3 telcos aren't going to do anything rash, instead they will wait and see what happens. But competition will improve over time.

Alas this is waht I expected when Meteor launched.

Solair

Well there is a simple reason for all of this. Meteor's launch was delayed and delayed by endless legal action and by the time it did get on air the O2 and Vodafone networks were fully built out and soild while meteor had patchy coverage at best. This put them at an incrediable disadvantage and prevented them from getting any of the big corporate users or serious mobile accounts. The roaming agreements have helped but, hopefully with access to eircom's properties and infrastructure they should be able to increase their coverage more rapidly.

Those delays were caused by a less than watertight licencing process that left ComReg and the state open to legal action. In typical Irish Government style, they screwed up horrendously and damaged competition.

Meteor only started making serious headway when number portability and national roaming became a reality as it created a fairer playing field.


Also, don't make the assumption that eircom will behave the same way in the mobile market as they do in the fixed line market. They will have to be extremely agressive and have basically promised to start a price war. They're big enough (in Ireland) to do some serious damage to the Vodafone / O2 duopoly.

If 3 follow their UK pattern they'll remain a relatively minor player for a long time. Their UK network was a complete and utter joke for a very long time. Friends of mine who were using it were having difficulty making calls from inside buildings in Central London !!! Hardly an area where you'd expect poor coverage and it's a total pain when you're missing calls while in the pub!

medO

Solair wrote:

Friends of mine who were using it were having difficulty making calls from inside buildings in Central London !!!

3G doesn't work from inside buildings bigger than a tent. Unless the network in question installs cellsites on each floor of the building. The penetration capability of 3G is appalling compared with 2G. If they do install cellsites on every floor of an (eg office or apartment) building, they are leaving themselves open to cancer claims down the road because the radiation source is so much more closer to the victim (ie office worker or apartment resident) - whether they themselves use mobile phones or not. If you live in an apartment building, do you want a mobile cellsite radiating away in the hallway outside your home while you sleep at night?

medO

medO

Bard wrote:

Or perhaps they're not idiots and they were trying to negotiate the purchase of www.three.ie (- didn't get it, obviously) ... at the time and had to submit something as their URL.

Actually they ended up registering www.3ireland.ie - even though www.three.ie was free when they were awarded their license and if the company was well managed it would have registered www.three.ie long before comreg got around to issuing same.

Basically 3Ireland appears to be almost a "shell company" run from England (Hemel Hempstead). If they could put up a long-range cellsite in England to cover Ireland that would be their first choice! Unfortunately they have had to outsource some of these details to Irish telecommunications operators, most of which are British owned. They also (in their conditions) reserve the right to record certain of your phone calls and track your movements and the people you call (and who call you) and store these data for three years. And send the material out of the country and even out of the EU.

In a free choice, free market world to what shop or supplier would you freely part with your money and allow them to f*** your private life up like this?

medO

JBoyle4eva

The whole 3 network at the moment sucks. NO prepay, no free voicemail and their website is just pricing/coverage etc. information with no self servicing(e.g. My Vodafone) and their pricing plans are awful if you're a teenager like me.

ATM, I would like to consider three if they were to have prepay service. As this will probably happen towards Christmas so people will get them as presents, I'll have to wait until then. Or maybe even longer...............................