O2 and HEAnet sign new 3-year partnership

With thousands of leaving cert students due to receive offers from universities and colleges this week, O2 has signed a new deal with HEAnet, Ireland’s National Education and Research Network, to offer low cost internet access to students. The deal will be available from 1 September 2011 and is also available to staff at HEAnet client institutions.

For only €9.99 per month students can avail of a range of internet options on their smartphones, laptops or other wireless devices such as tablets. For example, on a 12 month contract students can access 10GB of data per month for just €9.99. For students not keen to sign up to a long term contract there are offers available on prepay and on shorter term 30 day rolling contracts. Signing up to an O2/HEAnet student internet offer also gives students access to exclusive O2 educational and lifestyle treats including 20% discount at Hughes and Hughes bookstore, and €4 tickets at IMC and Omniplex cinemas.

HEAnet provides high quality internet and associated ICT services to higher education institutions and research organisations, which means the offer will be available to all students and staff in the country’s Universities, Institutes of Technology, Third Level Colleges and research organisations.

Commenting, John Boland, CEO of HEAnet said: “The 21st Century Student needs greater access to online research and collaboration tools anytime, anywhere. With this low cost deal our students will also have access “anyway” on their smartphones, laptops, tablets and other wireless devices.”

Also commenting, Gina Fusco, Consumer Director Telefónica Ireland, which operates the O2 brand in the Irish marketplace, said: “At O2, we understand the financial pressures that today’s students are under, as well as the flexibility they require in terms of how they access the internet. We are delighted to work with HEAnet to give students and academic staff access to O2’s leading edge mobile internet services at a great price.”

Students can sign up to O2’s discounted internet offers in any of O2’s retail stores nationwide. O2 will also bring an internet roadshow to HEAnet client institutions this Autumn, at which students will also be able to sign up to the new offers.

O2 is currently expanding its 21Mbps high speed broadband network nationwide offering significantly faster download and uplink speeds for customers. The 21Mbps network is already live in urban centres - including Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Sligo - and in a number of regional towns, while a further 38 towns around the country will be upgraded to 21Mbps later this year. The 21Mbps high speed broadband network will improve the data experience for customers on the O2 network and builds on current capabilities.

The student internet promotion will be available from 1 September 2011.