O2 in Ireland has launched 3G mobile television services (see below) with two monthly packages — “O2 Lifestyle Pack” for five euros ($7.16) per month and “Sky Sports & News Pack” for 6 euros ($8.59) per month — plus a daily rate (24 hours) to watch one service for one euro ($1.43).
O2 customers who sign up before September 9 will receive a free month of service.
I really like the availability of an inexpensive daily rate (even considering the insanely high euro-to-U.S. exchange rate!). A one day rate enables users to determine if they’d like the service enough to purchase monthly packages or to watch if something especially interesting is occurring, such as a major news or sports event.
Packages and pricing
The monthly prices are significantly cheaper than mobile TV subscriptions in the United States, although U.S. packages sometimes include more channels. The O2 Lifestyle Pack offers RTE News Now, Cartoon Network, CNN, Blueroom, Travel Channel, BBC World News and Boomerang.
The Sky Sports & News Pack offers Sky Sports 1,2,3, Sky Sports Xtra, Sky Sports News, At the Races, Sky News and CNN. Personally, I’d prefer an all-news package, including English-language foreign news — but I’d like that in the U.S., too.
O2 TV transmits over traditional HSDPA cellular channels and is compatible with select handsets from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung. O2 has tested DVB-H, but no spectrum for the technology has been allocated in the U.K.
(I have an N96 DVB-H handset, courtesy of Nokia but, unfortunately, there isn’t any DVB-H service in the U.S.)
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