Vodafone 4G network upgrade across Kilkenny now complete.

Vodafone 4G network upgrade across Kilkenny now complete

96% population coverage from Vodafone 4G across the county

6th March 2015: Vodafone has today confirmed that the roll out of its 4G network to towns in the South East is now complete; with Kilkenny now enjoying superfast 4G speeds reaching 96% of the population across the county.

Throughout Ireland, customers in 4G areas like Kilkenny can experience ten times faster speeds on their phones to watch videos with no buffering, instant photo uploads and seamless music streaming. Business customers can experience even more benefits downloading large emails and sending files quicker than ever before. Vodafone 4G is available on the majority of new and existing plans across the Red bill pay and Data Extra pre pay packages.

Vodafone CEO Anne O'Leary said: "Previously where you lived determined your access to high quality networks but we're changing this. With 90% population coverage across the country Vodafone 4G is now available in over 500 towns and villages nationwide. We want to provide a service that anyone can use, creating massive potential to access the ever-growing number of digital services being developed for education, entertainment and business. In a three year period 4G will achieve the same level of coverage that it took 3G twelve years to achieve, giving our customers the widest coverage of any network and connecting them like never before."

Vodafone South East Area Manager, Debbie Power, added, "At Vodafone, we're delighted that the upgrade across the South East is now complete. We've seen our customers' appetite for data grow dramatically in recent years. Our customers across Kilkenny are sharing more pictures on Instagram, listening to music on Spotify and enjoying videos on popular apps like Netflix and YouTube more than ever before."

Commenting, Griffin Hotels Group, Hotel Kilkenny General Manager, David Byrne said "High speed mobile connectivity is essential to local businesses in particular the hospitality industry. In using Vodafone’s 4G network our productivity has increased; providing us the option to host meetings on the go, transfer large files and use video conferencing which allows us to communicate more efficiently."

Along with faster data speeds, the new technology in the Vodafone network provides a much better call quality and level of reliability. To enjoy the benefits of the 4G network customers will need a 4G enabled handset. A range of great value 4G handsets to suit all customer needs are available from free on bill pay plans, and from €59.992 on pre pay in the South East.

In tandem with its 4G roll-out, Vodafone is modernising its existing network, providing customers with the best possible voice call quality and data services to all areas with existing voice services. Over 97% of the population can now avail of crystal clear conversation through High Definition Voice coverage, a service which is only available on Vodafone.

The company's expansion of its 4G service along with the improvements to its existing 3G network will conclude on schedule this autumn. 4G is available free of charge to Vodafone customers on the new pre pay Data Extra plan with 5GB of data and across the majority of worry free Red and Red Extra packages.

For further information on network upgrade and location coverage maps please see www.vodafone.ie/network/4g.

ENDS

1. 4G is ten times faster than standard 3G, speeds of up to 75Mbps.
2. Smart 4 Turbo available in the South East for €59.99 from March 9 to April 10. Discounted from €79.99.

For Further Information:

Clodagh O'Hagan, Vodafone 087 908 4055

Norman Pratt / Orla Molloy Weber Shandwick, 01 679 8600 / 086 151 8921 / 087 770 5108

About Vodafone Ireland:

Vodafone is Ireland's leading total communications provider with 2.3 million customers. At 31st December 2014, the company had 2.1 million mobile customers and 275,500 customers of its fixed portfolio.Vodafone provides a total range of communications solutions including voice, messaging, data and fixed communications to consumers and to small, medium and large businesses. Since 2011, Vodafone has expanded its enterprise division, offering integrated next-generation fixed and mobile solutions in addition to cloud-based platforms, machine to machine services and professional ICT support.Vodafone Group is one of the world's leading international mobile communications groups with mobile operations in 26 countries, partners with mobile networks in 54 more, and fixed broadband operations in 17 markets.For more information, please visit www.vodafone.ie