mmO2 plc has today submitted an application to the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation (ODTR) in the competition for the award of 3G licences in Ireland. Commenting on the submission, Danuta Gray, Chief Executive of mmO2's Irish business, Digifone, said: "Our application today is a major milestone for our business. The award of a 3G licence will allow us to offer to the Irish people
the kind of broadband mobile services which we know they have a huge appetite
for. We have a very clear and detailed vision of how the availability of 3G
wireless services will help to bridge the digital divide and so bring enormous
benefit to all sectors of the Irish economy and society."
Danuta Gray added: "We believe that we are in a uniquely strong position
when it comes to making 3G work in Ireland. Through our operation in the Isle
of Man, we were the first operator in Europe to launch a fully operational 3G
service. This experience gives us an enormous head start here and we
understand the challenge of making 3G a success in Ireland. Today's submission
of our bid, along with the commitments contained within it, represents our
unflinching commitment to meeting that challenge."
mmO2 has already secured 3G licences in each of the other markets where it
operates -- the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as on the Isle of
Man. The company believes that winning a 3G licence in Ireland is important
in order to bring advanced broadband mobile services to a majority of Irish
consumers and businesses, thus increasing the competitiveness of Ireland
within the European economy.