Meteor and O2 Ireland agree roaming deal

Meteor phone customers will soon be able to make and receive calls all over the country.

The mobile company has signed a deal on national roaming with O2, allowing Meteor customers to use the O2 network in areas where they don't have full coverage.

Meteor's Director of Corporate Affairs Andrew Kelly has said the new service, which will be available next month, will change the perception that Meteor cannot compete with other networks.

Meteor says its customers will now get national coverage before it completes the roll-out of its own network.

Meteor customers will be able to make and receive calls on the O2 network in Kerry, Donegal, Mayo, Cavan, Sligo and Leitrim, as well as parts of Limerick, Galway, Cork, Clare, Roscommon and Longford.

The agreement will run for two and a half years from September 1, 2004.

O2 will receive a share of each call made.

Meteor says there will be no extra charges for its customers and services will be available on GMS (2G) and GPRS (2.5G) networks.

The company says the roaming services will be phased out as Meteor completes its own network.

The Chairperson of the Commission for Communications Regulation, John Doherty, has welcomed the agreement.

Mr Doherty said: "The Commission for Communications Regulation has approved this agreement. It is in line with the regulatory measures proposed by ComReg in a consultation on the mobile market in January 2004.

"This agreement has the potential to increase competition in the mobile market as it will provide Meteor’s mobile phone customers with greater coverage than has been available until now on Meteor’s network.

"ComReg believes that there is potential for further competition in the mobile market and will continue to promote such competition wherever possible."