Aehso’s Output

Vodafone Ireland Live!/Mobile Internet and ISP data charges.

A while back I posted about Vodafone Ireland offering 500Mb for EUR9.99 per month. Some interesting comments on that post prompted me to followup with Vodafone to clarify a few things. Unfortunately I can’t print their response (it was ‘private’). However, I can clarify a few facts:

• The package can only be used to access Vodafone Live! content (i.e. data to/from the live.vodafone.ie gateway.)
• The package does not apply to use of your mobile phone as a modem (i.e. data to/from the isp.vodafone.ie gateway.)

With this package Vodafone charge an effective rate of €0.02 per Mb to download data from their Live service gateway up to 50Mb per day. If you go over 50Mb per day they start charging €5.00 per Mb.

With their “Modest” or “Medium” data service packages (see Vodafone pay monthly charges) they charge between €0.48 per Mb(€12/25) or €0.30 per Mb (€15/50) to transmit data via their ISP gateway (NOT the Live! gateway).

If you have not signed up for their “Modest” or “Medium” package then the data rate charge is €12.80 for the first Mb and €5.12 per subsequent Mb. (2c/KB up to 512 kbs and 0.5c/kb for any usage over 512kbs).

So Vodafone data rates vary from a minimum of €0.02/Mb (Live! data rate) to a maximum of €12.80 per Mb (general data rate) - incredible! If they had phone call charges like these the regulator would be all over them.

So mobile data via Vodafone remains potentially exhorbently expensive and confusing. The confusion is compounded by Vodafone’s use of the label “Mobile Internet” for this service. With this package a user can get access to reformatted versions of certain WWW sites. Calling that Mobile Internet is like calling a bicycle a supercar. The Internet, as in that series of interconnected tubes through which the worlds computers communicate over protocols based on Internet Protocol(IP), is completely out of bounds.

This service should be called the “Vodafone Network”. However there is nobody to regulate this type of thing, is there?

Vodafone do offer a 3G/GPRS broadband modem as an alternative but a) I need a service that allows me to use my existing 3G handset as a modem (so that my N800 can connect via bluetooth) and b) I don’t want to pay €30 per month for a service I’ll only use in bursts when on the road. They also offer a business email push service but this doesn’t cater for my ssh and http protocol access requirements.

So, we remain in the dark ages.

7 Comments to Vodafone Ireland Live!/Mobile Internet and ISP data charges.

1. 

   That\’s completely insane! The mobile telco I work for (a 3G provider in Australia) doesn\’t charge for on-portal data traffic at all. Granted, you can still screw yourself badly with the wrong off-portal data plan, but not as badly as the rates you describe. None of this page transformation nonsense either, just plain old IP connectivity.

   JM tagged some Irish 3g stuff - http://del.icio.us/jm/3g that might be handy…
Pierce on October 26th, 2007
2. 

   [...] See comments on this post and my followup post before signing up for this [...]
Aehso’s Output » Vodafone Ireland offering 500Mb for EUR9.99 per month. on November 1st, 2007
3. 

   Oh boy, am I glad with this information!!!
   I need an affordable internet service for my laptop in the camper. I live in the Netherlands and want to spend six weeks in Ireland next summer. I can only afford that if I can work, and for that I need internet access.
   Here in the Netherlands I have T-mobile, which gives me access to the Internet at reasonable prices, but only for the Netherlands itself. As soon as I cross the border, it gets expensive!
   So now I am looking for a service in Ireland itself. Could any of you give me any tips?
   Thnaks!
Willeke on November 4th, 2007
4. 

   For a short 6 week stay? Sorry, I honestly can’t think of any cost effective service! You could try buying credits with eircom’s wifi hotspot service instead of trying to use your mobile though that isn’t cheap either - http://www.eircom.ie/cgi-bin/bvsm/bveircom/bladerunner/showContent.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@2096403442.1199447965@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccaddmlmlhgijcefeceiedfgodfik.0&cid=WiFiAbout&site=Res&chanId=-536882378
Administrator on January 4th, 2008
5. 

   thanks… I called eircom but they don’t sell access to wifi points unless you get a landline from them.
   ah well, I suppose I’ll have to study the Fonera a bit more then…
   Does Mac Donalds have free hotspots in Ireland too?
Willeke on January 4th, 2008
6. 

   I’m not sure (I don’t eat McDonalds!)!
Administrator on January 4th, 2008
7. 

   me neither, but their coffee is OK, so that would be worth it.
   will have to find campingsites that have hotspots, I suppose!!
Willeke on January 4th, 2008

Leave a comment