3 rolls out software to boost broadband experience


11 Jun 2007

Third-generation mobile operator 3 will later this week introduce a new Web Accelerator product that users of its USB broadband modem can download to boost the amount of data they can download from 10GB up to 13GB.

“The Web Accelerator allows broadband users to compress data so that they are getting more data downloaded and at a quicker speed but also get more value,” said Damien Gallagher, head of business and new initiatives at 3 Ireland.

In recent weeks 3 introduced a new broadband package offering 10GB of data for €19.99 a month via a small portable USB device you plug into your laptop.

“Using the Web Accelerator a user of the 10GB offer can get up to 13GB of data downloaded for the price of 10GB,” Gallagher explained. “The Accelerator compresses the data and reassembles it when it downloads.

“On top of the increased data, the speed of the data is received a lot quicker. Instead of downloading a 2MB file you are downloading a file compressed down to 1.2MB.”

Gallagher said the Web Accelerator will be downloadable for free on 3’s website from later this week.

He added that the plan is to ensure that users that buy the USB broadband product are aware they can download the Web Accelerator.

“We’ll be encouraging all our customers to download the software. We’ve done our best to shake up the market and see this initiative as another way of giving customers more value.”

Gallagher added that 3 Ireland is working with HuaWei to look at bundling the software within the USB modem product so that it automatically gets to work rather than users downloading the software manually.

“Future orders of the USB device will have the software bundled. In the meantime we will be pointing our customers to the website and will have either an information card or a CD bundled with the product in the meantime.”

Gallagher added that users who don’t wish to wait till later this week to download the software can go to the 3 UK website and download it from http://www.three.co.uk/business/datacard_overview.omp

By John Kennedy