Fibre and DSL provider Magnet has unveiled a new standalone 50Mbps package separate from phone and TV bundles for €50 a month.
The product was launched ahead of the launch of a 30Mbps Fibre Power broadband service on Monday by UPC.
Directly to the home service
Magnet CEO Mark Kellett said his company’s 50Mbps service is directly to the home and must not be confused with UPC’s service, which is fibre to the cabinet and delivered to the home by coaxial cable.
“Terms such as ‘fibre powered’ give the perception that customers are getting fibre all the way to their homes. In reality, UPC’s connection from the street cabinet to the home is not fibre but coaxial. This is not about a battle between true fibre and cable technologies. It’s about ensuring that a public already confused by broadband is not misled further.”
Magnet’s fibre service works by connecting homes directly with fibre without watering down the speed by using other cable types.
“Fibre is like a massive water main. With cable broadband your house connects to that main with its own smaller pipe. With our fibre service we’re bringing the water main right into your house, giving you the full tsunami of the internet as opposed to a trickle,” said Kellett.
Cost cut
Magnet Networks has also recently reduced the price of its other high-speed ADSL2+ service, with its 24Mbps package available for €29.99.
Magnet Force is uncontended so customers do not share their connection with other users.
“It is good to see that other broadband providers are pushing up their speeds as Irish customers are getting increasingly bandwidth hungry and the bar needs to continually be raised. However, if they really wish to push the envelope they should offer customers a service that delivers consistent speeds all day and not when everyone wishes to use it,” said Kellett.
The combined footprint of Magnet’s’s service is more than 600,000 homes across Ireland.
By John Kennedy
Photo: Magnet CEO Mark Kellett.
