Eircell Vodafone has launched the country's first commercial GPRS service.
GPRS, (2.5G), provides permanent internet access at data speeds of up to 40 kb/s to corporate email and company information for customers.
Eircell Vodafone data customers will benefit from GPRS when accessing information remotely as a result of the higher data speeds and data based price plans.
Eircell Vodafone is today launching its GPRS service to its corporate customers with a consumer postpaid offering scheduled for launch in early February.
Pricing will incorporate a monthly GPRS rental fee and also linked volume rates.
Speaking at the launch of the new service, chief executive Mr Paul Donovan said Eircell was targeting existing customers rather than attempting to expand its customer base.
"Our strategic focus is on deriving value from - and delivering value to - our existing client base rather than further customer growth," he said.
"Increasing numbers of services in the mobile data space provide us with an opportunity to do so.
"The launch of GPRS is a significant element in our strategy, as we firmly believe that mobile data is one of the key revenue drivers for the future."
The majority of data services associated with 3G will be available on GPRS, although 3G offers more, faster than those available on a standard GSM network and comparable to the home desk top environment.
GPRS is a complementary technology to HSD (High Speed Data), which has been available since April 2000. HSD and GPRS will be available to Eircell Vodafone’s customers under the umbrella product name WorkAnywhere.