Meteor Mobile Communications
Encyclopedia
Meteor Mobile Communications Limited, a part of eircom
, is a GSM and UMTS mobile
telecommunications company in Ireland
. They operate a GSM/GPRS/EDGE
/UMTS(HSPA+) cellular communications network under licence from the Commission for Communications Regulation
(ComReg), and were the third entrant in the market, after Vodafone Ireland
and O2 Ireland
. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Irish telecoms network eircom
, having been purchased for €420m in 2005. Meteor is the only Irish owned mobile operator in Ireland.
Meteor issue new numbers with the prefix code 085. Since the introduction of full mobile number portability
in Ireland, access codes have become less relevant as mobile telephone users may now retain their mobile telephone numbers when moving between mobile network operators. As a result Meteor customers can now have numbers starting with the codes 083, 085, 086, 087, or 089.
As of September 2008, Meteor has over 1 million customers, or 20% of the market.
held a competition to award the third mobile telecommunications licence. Two companies submitted bids for the licence, Orange
, then controlled by Hutchinson Whampoa, and Meteor Mobile Communications (consisting at that point of Western Wireless, RF Communications Limited, and TWG Ireland LLC). On 19 June 1998 it was announced that Meteor had been ranked first in the competition. However, Orange took legal action against the Director to prevent the licence being awarded. This legal action ultimately failed and on 29 June 2000 Meteor were finally issued with the third mobile telecommunications licence.
market among teenagers, due to their low SMS
rates and ongoing promotions such as free Meteor-to-Meteor text messages.
In 2004, Western Wireless International bought out the remaining minority shareholders in the consortium, and it became a wholly owned subsidiary of that company.
that there had been three bidders for Meteor: eircom
, Smart Telecom
, and a consortium led by Denis O'Brien
. It was considered that the probability of eircom winning, was looking increasingly unlikely due to their heavy debt of approximately €1.9 billion. It seemed unlikely they could afford it, should the price have topped €400 million. However, on 14 July 2005, RTÉ News
reported on their business website that Denis O'Brien had withdrawn from bidding, and that it was understood that eircom was the top bidder at €410m. On 21 July it was announced that Smart Telecom had also withdrawn, leaving eircom as the sole bidder. On 25 July eircom announced that it had agreed to purchase the company for €420m. On 18 November 2005 the Competition Authority approved, subject to conditions (primarily, that separate accounts continue to be published for Meteor). The purchase was completed on 23 November 2005.
The company is now working closely with Eircom in upgrading its billing systems and deploying EDGE
and 3G
technology on its network. With the recent developments in eircom's acceptance of the fourth 3G
license from ComReg, Meteor is now obliged to have 33% of the population covered with commercial roll out of 3G services in October 2007. Meteor have also recently signed a deal with T-Mobile
UK which will see T-Mobile UK contract customers being offered a flat rate £
0.25 for calls made while roaming on the Meteor network in Ireland. On 21 September 2006 Meteor have also announced the abolition of charges to receive calls while in the UK, by signing a deal with T-Mobile UK.
Today the company offers mobile services, such as MMS, GPRS, EDGE and 3G through their Pay as You Go and Bill Pay brands.
In 2009 Meteor launched Bill Pay Lite. It offers short contracts and low monthly fees.
In February 2009 Meteor launched Broadband To Go, its mobile broadband offering. The service offers internet at HSDPA speeds and is available to Bill Pay and Pay as You Go customers. Currently there are 3 different products on bill pay, with download allowances fo 5GB, 10GB and 15GB. The Pay as you go service offers 7.5GB.
Meteor Mobile Internet is the company's mobile internet based services, offering access to the mobile internet, realtones, full track music downloads and other content available for download to existing customers.
Meteor Business is the company's division focusing on business customers. They offer services such as Mobile Email using Visto
technology, Microsoft Windows Mobile Email and other products.
agreement with O2 Ireland
which meant that, only on the western-most areas of Ireland (where Meteor is still rolling out coverage), a Meteor customer could use O2 Ireland's network at no extra charge. This deal expired in February 2007. The current situation allows Meteor customers access to the Vodafone Ireland
network on the western-seabord of Ireland.
Like all other Irish operators, Meteor now hold a UMTS licence. This means that they will soon be able to offer nationwide 3G
services, with a Meteor 3G
network already available to 33% of the Irish population (this includes the four cities of Dublin, Cork, limerick, Galway and other regional centres). They also offer GPRS (2.5G) and EDGE
(2.75G) services. They won a bid for the final 3G licence, when their parent, eircom
accepted this, because, Smart Mobile Ltd. was unable to pay for the license. Meteor continue to add EDGE
capabilities to their existing 2G network. In order to comply with the terms of licence, Meteor launched stage one (10% 3G coverage area) from their UMTS/HSDPA Network on the end of October 2007, with the second phase having gone live to customers at the end of September 2008. Meteors network is also 4G
ready, and company bosses have said that the 4G
network will go live before Christmas of 2010, being the first to offer a 4G
service.
The legal transfer of licence for UMTS services from Meteor's parent, eircom, was officially authorised on 26 June 2008 taking effect the following day.
.
's travel show No Frontiers and the second season of TV3's The Apprentice
. They have since removed their sponsorship of The Apprentice, while RTÉ are currently in the process of replacing No Frontiers with a new holiday show.
Eircom
Eircom Group LTD is a telecommunications company in the Republic of Ireland, and a former state-owned incumbent. It is currently the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of Ireland and operates primarily on the island of Ireland, with a point of presence in Great Britain.As Bord...
, is a GSM and UMTS mobile
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
telecommunications company in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. They operate a GSM/GPRS/EDGE
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution
Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution is a digital mobile phone technology that allows improved data transmission rates as a backward-compatible extension of GSM...
/UMTS(HSPA+) cellular communications network under licence from the Commission for Communications Regulation
Commission for Communications Regulation
The Commission for Communications Regulation is the general communications regulator for the Republic of Ireland, covering almost all possible types of communications....
(ComReg), and were the third entrant in the market, after Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone Ireland Limited, part of the Vodafone Group, is the largest mobile phone company in Ireland in terms of active subscribers, and was previously called Eircell. The mobile phone system in use is a digital GSM 900 system, and also a third-generation UMTS system...
and O2 Ireland
O2 Ireland
Telefónica Ireland is a broadband and telecommunications provider in Ireland. The company is marketed and trades as O2...
. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Irish telecoms network eircom
Eircom
Eircom Group LTD is a telecommunications company in the Republic of Ireland, and a former state-owned incumbent. It is currently the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of Ireland and operates primarily on the island of Ireland, with a point of presence in Great Britain.As Bord...
, having been purchased for €420m in 2005. Meteor is the only Irish owned mobile operator in Ireland.
Meteor issue new numbers with the prefix code 085. Since the introduction of full mobile number portability
Mobile number portability
Mobile number portability enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another.- General overview :MNP is implemented in different ways across the globe...
in Ireland, access codes have become less relevant as mobile telephone users may now retain their mobile telephone numbers when moving between mobile network operators. As a result Meteor customers can now have numbers starting with the codes 083, 085, 086, 087, or 089.
As of September 2008, Meteor has over 1 million customers, or 20% of the market.
Award of licence
In 1998, the then Director of Telecommunications RegulationCommission for Communications Regulation
The Commission for Communications Regulation is the general communications regulator for the Republic of Ireland, covering almost all possible types of communications....
held a competition to award the third mobile telecommunications licence. Two companies submitted bids for the licence, Orange
Orange SA
Orange is the brand used by France Télécom for its mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom's UK mobile phone network, which was...
, then controlled by Hutchinson Whampoa, and Meteor Mobile Communications (consisting at that point of Western Wireless, RF Communications Limited, and TWG Ireland LLC). On 19 June 1998 it was announced that Meteor had been ranked first in the competition. However, Orange took legal action against the Director to prevent the licence being awarded. This legal action ultimately failed and on 29 June 2000 Meteor were finally issued with the third mobile telecommunications licence.
Launch
Launched on 22 February 2001, Meteor slowly picked up a low (under 10%) share of the Irish market. However, they became profitable and have since picked up much of the lucrative pre-paidPay as you go
Pay as you go may refer to:*PAUG, a structured financial product*"Pay as you go" or "Pay & Go", a general term for the concept of a prepaid mobile phone....
market among teenagers, due to their low SMS
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
rates and ongoing promotions such as free Meteor-to-Meteor text messages.
In 2004, Western Wireless International bought out the remaining minority shareholders in the consortium, and it became a wholly owned subsidiary of that company.
Acquisition by eircom
In early 2005 several Irish newspapers reported that Western Wireless had been approached with a view to selling Meteor. On 9 July 2005 it was reported by The Irish TimesThe Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
that there had been three bidders for Meteor: eircom
Eircom
Eircom Group LTD is a telecommunications company in the Republic of Ireland, and a former state-owned incumbent. It is currently the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of Ireland and operates primarily on the island of Ireland, with a point of presence in Great Britain.As Bord...
, Smart Telecom
Smart Telecom
Smart Telecom is an Irish telecom operator that started as a phone card seller. It is also the third largest provider of cost-sensitive telecom services sector in Ireland, behind the incumbent operator Eircom and BT Ireland. It currently has an estimated 50,000 land-line customers and 18,000...
, and a consortium led by Denis O'Brien
Denis O'Brien
Denis O'Brien is an Irish businessman with international connections. An Arts graduate of University College Dublin, O'Brien has received a MBA in corporate finance from Boston College in 1982, and was later given an honorary doctorate by University College Dublin.O'Brien has involvement with...
. It was considered that the probability of eircom winning, was looking increasingly unlikely due to their heavy debt of approximately €1.9 billion. It seemed unlikely they could afford it, should the price have topped €400 million. However, on 14 July 2005, RTÉ News
RTÉ News
RTÉ News and Current Affairs , is a major division of Raidió Teilifís Éireann responsible for news programming on television, radio and online within the Republic of Ireland. It is, by far, the largest and most popular news source in Ireland - with 77% of the Irish public regarding it as their main...
reported on their business website that Denis O'Brien had withdrawn from bidding, and that it was understood that eircom was the top bidder at €410m. On 21 July it was announced that Smart Telecom had also withdrawn, leaving eircom as the sole bidder. On 25 July eircom announced that it had agreed to purchase the company for €420m. On 18 November 2005 the Competition Authority approved, subject to conditions (primarily, that separate accounts continue to be published for Meteor). The purchase was completed on 23 November 2005.
Rapid growth
In the latest report from eircom, Meteor has gained an 18.9% share of the mobile market in Ireland, with a customer base of over 962,000 of which over 100,000 (12%) are post paid subscribers under the Meteor BillPay brand. The company's subscriber base has since increased to over one million as of September 2008. Meteor has accounted for 66% of the overall growth of the Irish mobile market in the year to September 2006.The company is now working closely with Eircom in upgrading its billing systems and deploying EDGE
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution
Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution is a digital mobile phone technology that allows improved data transmission rates as a backward-compatible extension of GSM...
and 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
technology on its network. With the recent developments in eircom's acceptance of the fourth 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
license from ComReg, Meteor is now obliged to have 33% of the population covered with commercial roll out of 3G services in October 2007. Meteor have also recently signed a deal with T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
UK which will see T-Mobile UK contract customers being offered a flat rate £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
0.25 for calls made while roaming on the Meteor network in Ireland. On 21 September 2006 Meteor have also announced the abolition of charges to receive calls while in the UK, by signing a deal with T-Mobile UK.
Products & Services
Meteor initially started out as a value-driven mobile service offering customers basic mobile voice telephony and text-based SMS services to mostly Pay and Go customers.Today the company offers mobile services, such as MMS, GPRS, EDGE and 3G through their Pay as You Go and Bill Pay brands.
In 2009 Meteor launched Bill Pay Lite. It offers short contracts and low monthly fees.
In February 2009 Meteor launched Broadband To Go, its mobile broadband offering. The service offers internet at HSDPA speeds and is available to Bill Pay and Pay as You Go customers. Currently there are 3 different products on bill pay, with download allowances fo 5GB, 10GB and 15GB. The Pay as you go service offers 7.5GB.
Meteor Mobile Internet is the company's mobile internet based services, offering access to the mobile internet, realtones, full track music downloads and other content available for download to existing customers.
Meteor Business is the company's division focusing on business customers. They offer services such as Mobile Email using Visto
Visto
Visto was a private US company located in Redwood Shores, CA. Visto sold Push e-mail products for mobile phones. The company acquired Good Technology in 2009 and renamed itself for the acquired company.- Visto the Company :...
technology, Microsoft Windows Mobile Email and other products.
eMobile (MVNO)
As part of their mobile strategy eircom and Meteor have also launched eMobile aimed at the older residential & business market. This is to be complementary to the Meteor brand (mainly used by younger residential wireless customers). eMobile is a mobile virtual network operator MVNO which uses the Meteor Network for its services to residential & business customers, to complement the residential and business mobile services offered by Meteor.Network
Meteor previously had a national roamingRoaming
In wireless telecommunications, roaming is a general term referring to the extension of connectivity service in a location that is different from the home location where the service was registered. Roaming ensures that the wireless device is kept connected to the network, without losing the...
agreement with O2 Ireland
O2 Ireland
Telefónica Ireland is a broadband and telecommunications provider in Ireland. The company is marketed and trades as O2...
which meant that, only on the western-most areas of Ireland (where Meteor is still rolling out coverage), a Meteor customer could use O2 Ireland's network at no extra charge. This deal expired in February 2007. The current situation allows Meteor customers access to the Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone Ireland Limited, part of the Vodafone Group, is the largest mobile phone company in Ireland in terms of active subscribers, and was previously called Eircell. The mobile phone system in use is a digital GSM 900 system, and also a third-generation UMTS system...
network on the western-seabord of Ireland.
Like all other Irish operators, Meteor now hold a UMTS licence. This means that they will soon be able to offer nationwide 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
services, with a Meteor 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
network already available to 33% of the Irish population (this includes the four cities of Dublin, Cork, limerick, Galway and other regional centres). They also offer GPRS (2.5G) and EDGE
Edge
- Aviation :* Leading edge, a line connecting the forward-most points of a wing's profile* Trailing edge, the rear edge of the wing* Zivko Edge 540, an aerobatic aircraft- Mathematics, science and technology :...
(2.75G) services. They won a bid for the final 3G licence, when their parent, eircom
Eircom
Eircom Group LTD is a telecommunications company in the Republic of Ireland, and a former state-owned incumbent. It is currently the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of Ireland and operates primarily on the island of Ireland, with a point of presence in Great Britain.As Bord...
accepted this, because, Smart Mobile Ltd. was unable to pay for the license. Meteor continue to add EDGE
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution
Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution is a digital mobile phone technology that allows improved data transmission rates as a backward-compatible extension of GSM...
capabilities to their existing 2G network. In order to comply with the terms of licence, Meteor launched stage one (10% 3G coverage area) from their UMTS/HSDPA Network on the end of October 2007, with the second phase having gone live to customers at the end of September 2008. Meteors network is also 4G
4G
In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2009, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s...
ready, and company bosses have said that the 4G
4G
In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2009, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s...
network will go live before Christmas of 2010, being the first to offer a 4G
4G
In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2009, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s...
service.
The legal transfer of licence for UMTS services from Meteor's parent, eircom, was officially authorised on 26 June 2008 taking effect the following day.
Meteor Ireland Music Awards
Meteor sponsor Ireland's national music awards each year, and they have hence become known as The MeteorsMeteor Music Awards
The Meteor Ireland Music Awards are a group of music awards in Ireland...
.
Sponsorship
Meteor sponsored RTÉ OneRTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
's travel show No Frontiers and the second season of TV3's The Apprentice
The Apprentice (Irish TV series)
The Apprentice is an Irish reality television series, in which a group of aspiring young businessmen and women compete for the chance to win a job as "apprentice" to business magnate Bill Cullen....
. They have since removed their sponsorship of The Apprentice, while RTÉ are currently in the process of replacing No Frontiers with a new holiday show.