Esat Digifone now has 80,000 subscribers and this figure will be well over 100,000 by the end of the year, its chief executive, Mr Barry Maloney, has said. Mr Maloney was speaking yesterday after the introduction of three new Digifone products. Digifone was awarded the second GSM mobile phone licence and launched last March.
Mr Maloney said the company had only expected to win 50,000 subscribers by the end of the year and is extremely pleased with progress to date. He said the three new options gave subscribers an easier way to get connected. The three packs are called Digipack Personal, Digipack Performer and Digipack Prestige. The personal option is aimed at light users and costs £49. Performer costs £99 and Prestige costs £219. These two are aimed at heavier users and include three months free rental.
Mr Maloney said once the normal credit checks are completed, the customer can take the phone and is ready to go.
He said the three phones, which are made by Siemens and Motorola, have been tested extensively on the Digifone network and are of very good quality.
Mr Maloney refuted suggestions that the company has not been marketing its products as well as Eircell, pointing out that subscriber numbers has surpassed expectations. He added that Eircell has a far bigger marketing budget.
He said the new products were part of the company's ongoing marketing campaign and were not a response to Eircell's £99 readyto-go mobile phone, which was introduced to the market last Thursday. These phones are intended to attract users onto the analogue system.
