The broadband company chaired by ex-Baltimore and FAI CEO Fran Rooney has launched a new 3MB broadband service that combines unlimited national and international phone calls for under €50 a month, siliconrepublic.com has learned.
Ice Broadband, which is led by Rooney’s daughter, chief executive Yvonne Rooney, last year revealed plans to cover 95pc of Ireland’s midlands with broadband services using a combination of wireless technologies developed by Israeli firm Alvarion and Motorola’s Canopy technology.
Already the company is providing services in 30 locations, including areas like Swords in Dublin and counties Meath, Kildare, Westmeath, Laois, Carlow, Tipperary and Limerick.
Speaking with siliconrepublic.com, Rooney said that the new offering will include a basic broadband package of 3MB download ad 1MB upload for €37.99 a month.
A second service that will include unlimited free local and national landline calls and international calls to the UK and US called the ‘Ice Pack’ will include the 3MB service and will cost €49.99.
A SoHo (small office home office) service for business customers will offer a basic broadband package of 4MB download and 1MB upload, while an ‘Ice Pack’ version with free local, national, UK and US calls will cost €69.99 per month.
The company is also planning to bring out a gaming broadband service which will have a contention ratio of 20 to 1 and 4MB download and 2MB upload for €69.99 a month.
Rooney said that Ice Broadband aims to be active in the market for broadband in regions of Ireland deemed not lucrative enough by mainstream vendors.
In particular, the company is planning its alternative to the failed Group Broadband Scheme (GBS) called the Ice Group Broadband Scheme.
“The GBS was ineffective because the process was slow and bureaucratic. The community had to apply to the Government for grants,” Rooney told siliconrepublic.com.
“The Ice Group Broadband Scheme will work with the communities that want broadband from beginning to end.
“One of the first communities to use this will be the Rivermeath estate in St Margaret’s in Dublin where 140 customers who have been demanding broadband will get it. There are plans to provide another 400 homes in the area with broadband,” Rooney said.
By John Kennedy
