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O2 MOBILE PHONE customers can eventually look forward to higher data speeds after all their accounts were transferred yesterday to new owner Three.
The handover was made complete as 1.5 million O2 clients were shifted to its former rival, which had struggled to gain traction in Ireland until the takeover.
Three Ireland, which is owned by Hong Kong-based Hutchinson Whampoa, last year completed its buyout of O2 from Spanish firm Telefónica for €780 million.
The deal made Three the second-biggest mobile phone player in the country behind Vodafone, which has steadily been shedding customers in recent years.
Besides the most-obvious changes like O2 logos on phones and stores, the main difference for customers will come from eventually being transferred over to Three’s 4G data network, which it shares with Eircom.
The company has spent €2 billion rolling out its network and the improved standard means faster download speeds within covered areas – although it will only be available to O2 customers from June.
The service is currently free for Three customers but will cost €4.99 per month as an add-on from July.
When asked what 4G access would cost O2 customers being shifted over, a company spokeswoman told TheJournal.ie their existing price plans wouldn’t change but Three would “keep customers updated with more information in due course”.
Same service, different stores
Otherwise O2 customers stay on the same terms and contracts, and will get the same network coverage, but they may also have to travel further for face-to-face service.
About 160 roles, including 75 retail jobs, were made redundant as part as the merger as Three shut 42 out of the combined company’s 110 outlets.
The spokeswoman said any stores which closed had another outlet “within close proximity”.
Meanwhile, Three said it was creating 90 extra positions in O2′s former call centre in Limerick, which would be expanded and it would also open a new “customer care centre” in Waterford on top of its existing centre in India.
Customers from both providers with free calls within their network will now be able to call eachother for free after the merger.
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What an absolute legend to Dublin GAA
What a leader. What a player. What a Dub – the man bled blue. Thanks for all the memories James – getting to see those 9 All Ireland wins is something I (and thousands more Dubs fans) will never forget. COYBIB!
James a true Dublin Legend! Enjoy your retirement. Up The Dubs
Some servant to Dublin… Done damage to us in the Mayo v Dublin finals! …Enjoy the retirement!
Did I here there’s a monument going up of the man who assaulted roaderic o gorman?
@Cole Palmer: No, but I hear you need to go back to school and sort your grammar out.
@Stephen Heffernan: Never step foot in Inis Boffin
@Cole Palmer: ROADeric? At first I thought it was a clever play on words or spelling, RODERIC being from the Green Party etc…but, then I realised you just can’t spell or punctuate.
@Brian Lyons: Barry’s tea better
@Cole Palmer: a brave man who won’t even put his name to his posts. If you can do better than O’Gorman then put yourself up for election. Anyone who assaults someone because they disagree with them has lost the argument
@Cole Palmer: big man talk, maybe you want to start a gofundme page for the s**mb*g that was found guilty of this crime?
@Cole Palmer: Whilst I don’t condone violence, I can understand where the man is coming from!
@Brian Lyons: Pedantic Prat!
@dermot Berry: do you know chippy chips?
Well done James!
That is niche
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