London 1 December 2006: 3 is set to revolutionise the way consumers use and pay for their mobiles with today’s launch of the first true flat rate ‘all-you-can eat’ mobile broadband packages.
The X-Series from 3 offers unprecedented choice for consumers wishing to stay in touch, find information and stay entertained on the move. For the first time, mobile users will be able to take advantage of unlimited internet access from their mobiles; make unlimited calls from their mobile to any Skype PC customer worldwide and to any other Skype 3 mobile customer; watch their home television on their mobile and access their home PC files remotely.
X-Series was devised by 3 to bring the full internet experience to mobile users, and offers consumers an unrivalled choice of services that blur the boundaries between mobiles and PCs.
The launch of the X-Series from 3 not only takes the mobile internet experience to a new level, but constitutes a landmark in how to charge for mobile services. Replicating the established home broadband pricing model, all X-Series customers will pay a monthly fee for access, and use their unlimited mobile broadband connection to access the internet and enjoy a unique range of free services.
The X Series from 3 is available from today in two mobile broadband packages, ‘X-Series Gold’ and ‘X-Series Silver’ - priced at £10 and £5 a month respectively.
Both the ‘Silver’ package and the ‘Gold’ package offer unlimited internet access on the move, and free Skype calls - both nationally and internationally - to other Skype users. The Gold package also offers access to Slingbox and Orb- innovative services that allow home TV and what’s stored on home PCs to be accessed and viewed on mobiles. Unlimited Windows Live Messenger and access to eBay are also included with all of 3’s Pay Monthly price plans.
X-Series is available direct from 3 from today - via 3 stores, online at www.three.co.uk/xseries and by calling 0870 358 6957. To sign up to X-Series from 3, customers simply pick their mobile, select their preferred price plan, then select whether they want the Gold or Silver option.
Graeme Oxby, Marketing Director of 3 UK, commented: “X-Series is mobile internet as it was meant to be - unlimited access and free at the point of use. Moving away from charges per call, per megabyte and per message will set consumers free to enjoy mobile broadband services without having to think about what it’s costing. So if you’re an X-Series customer with 3, your Skype calls, instant messaging, emailing, and internet searching won’t cost you another penny.”
Commenting on the increased choices offered by X-Series from 3, Oxby said: “People are not just searching on the internet now, but are using their broadband connections to take advantage of innovative services like Skype and messenger. We’ve embraced this trend and moved quickly to ensure that consumers can have the same choices when they’re away from home as they do when they’re sitting in front of their pc.”
3’s X-Series services include:
Unlimited access to the internet via mobile.
All X-Series customers will be able to access the internet using their mobiles whenever they want.
Unlimited Skype to Skype calls
3 is the first mobile service in the world to offer its customers Skype on their mobiles, allowing them to make and receive free calls on the move to any Skype PC customer worldwide and to any other Skype 3 mobile customer as part of the X-Series package.
More than 130 million people worldwide are using Skype to make free calls using their home PC internet connection. 3’s innovation allows its customers to make free calls to other Skype users with their mobiles as well. Customers simply add their Skype contacts to the contact list on their mobile. They will be able to see when these contacts are online and available to call.
Cashing in on email and IM
In addition to unlimited open web access, X-Series customers will benefit from free webmail services. 3’s email package enables its customers to access their own webmail, including gmail, Yahoo! and AOL, on their phones. Also included with all 3 Pay Monthly price plans is free Windows Live Messenger (previously called MSN Messenger), which means 3 customers can take part in conversations they’d otherwise miss when they’re out and about.
Downloading free podcasts
X-Series customers can search and download podcasts for free while on the move - removing the need to plan ahead and download a favourite podcast from a PC before they set off. Download speeds are fast, with a 45 minute podcast taking just two minutes to download.
Remote access to files on your PC – and more music for your money
For the first time ever 3 customers will be able to access the contents of their home PC remotely from their mobile. The service, called ‘Orb’ can be used to access files saved on a PC, including your music, photos and videos.
Orb will allow X-Series users to access their music collections stored on their PC. Selected tracks can be streamed direct to the handset. This service complements the network’s popular 3MusicStore™, which lets customers download tracks to their PC as well as their mobiles for no extra charge.
The Orb service is included in the X-Series Gold package, which costs £10 per month.
Sling your TV to your mobile
The X-Series ‘Gold’ £10 package also offers 3 customers access to whatever home TV services they subscribe to, wherever they are, via a Slingbox. So X-Series Gold customers can watch channels live, or watch programmes they’ve already recorded onto hard disc drives at home. 3 will be offering Slingboxes - this year’s must-have TV gadget - to customers who sign up to the X-Series for a market-beating £99.99.
Initially 3’s X-Series services will be available on the Nokia N73 handset with the Sony Ericsson W950i following in January. More details on the X-Series Silver and Gold packages can be found at www.three.co.uk/xseries
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Notes to Editors:
X-Series Silver and Gold offer unlimited use of these mobile broadband services with high fair use limits which all except unfair users should find difficult to reach. See www.three.co.uk/xseries for full details of 3’s fair use policy.
X-Series Silver and Gold have a minimum term of 6 months when purchased on connection to 3, but customers who buy a Slingbox on X-Series Gold will have a minimum of 12 months.
On Skype:
Both the X-Series Silver and Gold packages include free national and international calls to Skype PC users worldwide and to any other Skype 3 mobile users.
On Music and Orb:
3 customers buy more than a million audio and video music downloads on their mobiles every month. 3 accounts for one in ten of all singles sold in the UK – both online and offline. The new Orb service gives remote internet access from a mobile handset to a home PC.
On Slingbox:
3 is the first mobile operator to partner with Slingbox to allow customers remote live access to their home TV channels and also to programmes saved on their hard disc systems. SlingBox has recently been named “Stuff Magazine Hot Buy” (September 2006).
Coverage:
All X-Series services will be available when there’s video coverage on 3’s networks in the UK or overseas and, except for Orb and Sling, will work in our UK voice and picture coverage area as well.
On the Gold and Silver X-Series packages:
More information on these packages is available at www.three.co.uk/xseries
For further information, please contact:
Nic Rider / Rachel Headon
Lexis Public Relations
Tel: 020 7908 6473
About 3
3 is a mobile media company delivering a convergence of communications, entertainment and information to customers on the move.
The three areas which form the core of its business are:
• Communications – including all forms of personal communications, voice and video calling; text, picture and video messaging; and mobile blogging
• Entertainment – including television, music audio and video, computer games, and media publishing
• Information services – including wireless web, access to the best of the internet and a range of news services
3 UK is a member of the HWL group of 3G companies, which include 3G operations in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Sweden and soon Norway.
Three facts about 3:
• 3, a mobile media company, launched the UK's first 3G network
• 3 has over 3.75 million customers in the UK and over 13.5 million worldwide (August 2006 figures)
• The 3 network offers national coverage for calls and texts, and 90% population coverage for 3G services.
