I think Voda, 02, Meteor and 3 might be a bit pissed. Not only did Digiweb get a cheap wireless broadband licence, they are now making it into a roaming service for users so they can have broadband on the move and now ComReg have given them the 088 mobile phone range for this service. That to me is effectively a 5th mobile phone company in Ireland and at a fraction of the cost of a “real” mobile licence. How much did eircom just pay for a 3G licence? 🙂 I don’t envisage the big mobile phone companies being pleased. I am also hearing that ComReg are quite pushing wireless providers to start with nomadic Wimax (vapourware) and again are probably open to the idea of providing dedicated number ranges for the service.
Here’s the Digiweb PR bumpf:
Digiweb Ltd (www.digiweb.ie) has today announced that it has been awarded the 088 mobile number range for mobile phone services in Ireland.
Digiweb will provide true mobile broadband and mobile phone services to all regions of Ireland over the next 18 months. This will effectively end the digital divide, offering state-of-the-art broadband and voice services equally throughout the country – from the heart of the largest towns and cities, into the deepest rural community.
Comreg’s decision today follows on from its prior award of a national Wideband Digital Mobile Data Service license (WDMDS) to the company, and in combining these two authorisations Digiweb will now establish a significant force for change in both the Broadband and Mobile phone markets in Ireland.
Commenting on the announcement, Colm Piercy, Managing Director at Digiweb stated “We are delighted to have been awarded the 088 number and appreciate ComReg’s foresight in seeing the potential our 4G Mobile network will have in delivering new competition and better services to the Irish consumer. We will introduce new services and benefits which are simply unavailable from today’s mobile operators including, true always-on broadband with low latency and DSL-like speeds, alongside flexible, low cost mobile phone services. Its ironic that Ireland’s first mobile number – 088 – will now become the newest and most sought after number in Ireland!�
Ooh, 088 is back – someone should get the oldest of old Eircell phones and walk into a Digiweb office and ask to connect it 😉
Thanks for the press release – I am always on the lookout for overblown statements that neatly slot into papers or presentations on the ‘promise’ of new technology (or new licenses/uses for existing technology): “This will effectively end the digital divide” will be my new favourite.
Wow thats very interesting 088 number as well! wonder if i can get my old 088 number back HAHA
And tesco mobile is supposed to be launching soon! – is there such a thing as too much choice?
Dozey lazyweb question but what technology is Digiweb using? Is it just VOIP on Wifi or something more schnazzy?
OFDM
OFDM refers to the modulation scheme over the air. It’s not clear what the exact flavour of OFDM is in use (electric news mentions flash OFDM from Qualcomm…previously Flarion).
Just wondering Damien why you refer to WiMAX as vapourware? If it is then Motorola for one is sunk…they’re betting heavily on it being a success (as are a number of other companies).
Certainly the WiMAX specs support mobile use and has the potential to effectively leap-frog 3G. However you would imagine with the committed license and infastructure costs paid that the big 3G players will just price WiMAX entrants out of the market.
Maybe Comreg decided the other telcos needed a boot up the rear end to get themselves in gear?
However it’s the “into the deepest rural community” bit the interests me living, as I do, in a deepish rural community.
Promises, promises, promises….