O2 Ireland has introduced three new business rates for the iPhone, ranging from €20 to €109 per month and including a 1GB data plan.
The three new business price plans – O2 Release, O2 Release Edge and O2 Flexi – also apply to the Palm Pre smart phone and pricing depends on the model of the handset, for example the 32GB iPhone 3GS handset costs €139 on the €109 per month O2 Release plan while the 8GB Palm Pre handset is free on this.
The difference between the plans are as follows: O2 Release has 1GB of data plus free Wi-Fi access through Bitbuzz for €109 per month while under O2 Release Edge users are only charged for what they use up to a cap of €109 (ex VAT) plus a standard monthly rental of €20 for the same data and Bitbuzz usage.
O2 Flexi is for a multiple Customer Telephone Number (CTN) price plan, where the company can sign up for shared bundled minutes and then spread this plan across a range of different CTNs. This gives basic monthly rental per user at €20 (ex VAT) and again incorporates the 1GB data allowance and free Wi-Fi access through Bitbuzz.
Business price plans on the iPhone range from €20 to €109 per month (ex VAT) including 1GB of data. The cost of the handsets ranges from free for the 8GB iPhone 3G to €246 (ex VAT) for the 32GB iPhone 3GS, depending on which price plan is selected.
“The iPhone is already a phenomenal success in Ireland and with our new business price plans we’re hoping many more SMEs will see the benefits it can bring to their daily working lives,” said Denis Kelleher, head of SME, Telefónica O2 Ireland.
The iPhone has push email for Microsoft Exchange, as well as calendar and contacts integration, and allows for viewing of attachments, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF and JPG.
“As well as keeping in touch with customers and new business opportunities, accessing breaking news, research, tracking global markets or keeping your business social media sites up to date will be easier than ever with the iPhone,” added Kelleher.
Breakdown of price plans
O2 Release
(€109 per month (ex VAT) inclusive of 1GB data, free Wi-Fi access through Bitbuzz also included)
Device prices (ex VAT):
8GB iPhone 3G – Free
16GB iPhone 3GS – €65
32GB iPhone 3GS – €139
Palm Pre 8GB – Free
O2 Release Edge
(Under this plan users are only charged for what they use up to a cap of €109 (ex VAT), inclusive of standard monthly rental at €20 – incorporating a 1GB data allowance and free Wi-Fi access through Bitbuzz)
Device prices (ex VAT):
8GB iPhone 3G: €164
16GB iPhone 3GS: €205
32GB iPhone 3GS: €246
Palm Pre 8GB – €164
O2 Flexi
(This is a multiple Customer Telephone Number (CTN) price plan, where a company can sign up to shared bundled minutes which can then be spread across a range of different CTNs as required. Basic monthly rental per user is €20 (ex VAT), incorporating a 1GB data allowance and free Wi-Fi access through Bitbuzz).
Device prices (ex VAT):
8GB iPhone 3G: €164
16GB iPhone 3GS: €205
32GB iPhone 3GS: €246
Palm Pre 8GB – €164
By Marie Boran
Photo: Denis Kelleher, head of SME, Telefonica O2 Ireland, at the launch of the new iPhone business price plans.
