3 Ireland beats ComReg coverage target ahead of schedule

Irish 3G mobile operator 3 Ireland says it has complied with the terms of its licence obligations, meeting the targets set down by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) one year ahead of schedule. Hutchison Whampoa-owned 3 says its networks cover 85% of the Irish population for 3G data services and 99.5% of the country for voice and SMS services. The cellco’s managing director Robert Finnegan said his firm has gotten off to a positive start in 2007. ‘Beating the regulatory requirement by such a margin just shows 3’s commitment to rolling out 3G in the Irish market,’ he said. ‘Some of the old networks have paid lip service to new technologies, keeping customers on 2G to protect their old revenue streams’, he added. 3 Ireland has recently rolled out a 3.5G service based on high speed download packet access (HSDPA) technology.