Mobile phone company O2 Ireland is investing a total of €250m over the next 18 months to provide a next generation mobile network here.
The company says the new network will provide broadband services over the mobile network with bandwidth that will match those currently available in the Irish market from both fixed and wireless operators.
O2 says that by the end of the year, its network will support broadband for over 60% of consumers nationwide. This will rise to 80% of customers by the end of 2007.
Broadband over O2's next generation network will support peak rate download speeds starting at 3.6 megabits per second by December 2006, rising to 14.4 by the end of next year.
Ericsson Ireland has been contracted to build the new network.
'This new investment will allow our customers to enjoy broadband services at home and/or on the move at unprecedented speeds, while also allowing us to rapidly develop new and competitive services to meet Ireland's increasingly sophisticated mobile communications requirements', commented Oliver Coughlan, O2's Chief Technology Officer.
