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Eircom said on Monday that SMS will be available over its landline network in September, allowing customers with SMS-enabled phones to send and receive text messages. The telecoms operator also launched a range of SMS-ready cordless phones on Monday to coincide with the announcement.
Eircom said it would invest a total of EUR20 million over three years on the project with the bulk of the money being spent on upgrading its infrastructure to facilitate SMS traffic over its network. The remainder is to be spent on equipment and marketing.
The telecoms company has estimated that three million text messages are sent every day in Ireland and it believes it can grow the figure further, which, of course, will help boost its revenues. Up until now, mobile operators have been reaping the rewards of the text messaging boom, but this move by Eircom means that it will be able to take a share of the SMS spoils.
A spokesperson for Eircom said that the cost of sending text messages via landline was not being released pre-launch, but will be competitive with SMS charges from mobile operators.
Landline SMS has been available in other European countries such as Germany and Italy, but this is the first time that it is being offered in Ireland. Users of Eircom's system will be able to send and receive text messages to and from other SMS-enabled phones, as well as to and from mobile phones.
According to Eircom, trials of the SMS-enabled phones have produced positive reactions from consumer and business customers. "Users said that the ideal landline telephone would include features which would give them greater flexibility and mobility, but at landline reliability and prices," said Cathal Magee, managing director of Eircom Retail, in a statement. He added that reaction from businesses had been particularly supportive of the initiative.
As well as being SMS-enabled, Eircom's 4012 range of digital cordless phones, which have been developed by Siemens, have a 300 metre range, a 200 name address book and caller ID. Prices start at EUR169.95
The phones use DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephony), which is a digital technology that gives them a greater range than traditional analogue cordless phones and also reduces interference.
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