Pure Telecom links up with 3 in Communications Deal

Irish telecommunications company Pure Telecom has teamed up with 3 Ireland to begin delivering mobile phone and broadband services to its business customers. Under the terms of the agreement, Pure will re-sell 3's business mobile packages. To celebrate this new venture Pure are offering customers who sign up before 31st March 15% off their monthly business tariff for life on top of the already significant savings offered by the 3 mobile network.

Speaking of the cost savings customers can make Paul Connell, Director of Pure Telecom said: “The business price plans and roaming charges are the best in the market and the savings to be made are significant. Customers who have already signed up are now experiencing up to 54% saving on their mobile phone costs against those of Vodafone and O2.”

The business price plans cater specifically to the needs of SMEs and large corporates in Ireland, a potential market representing over three quarters of a million subscribers. Called “Business Sharer”, the package gives a business a bundle of minutes, messages and data allowances to share among its mobile users every month, resulting in easier account management and greater cost efficiency.

Customers can avail of 99.5% voice and text coverage in Ireland. Customers will further benefit from mobile broadband services, free inter-network calls and EU roaming rates 33% better value than any other operator in the market.

Commenting on the agreement, Damien Gallagher, Head of Business at 3 said: “Pure’s expertise and success lies in servicing the business market where they already offer fixed and broadband services. It’s a win-win situation for both companies- we will benefit from Pure’s expertise and experience offering dedicated business customer care and Pure benefit from having access to Ireland’s most business-friendly mobile phone service and network for calls, text and data services.”

Pure offers DSL, wireless and satellite broadband along with landline rental and calls and this new agreement means that it will now provide the full complement of business telecoms services. In return the venture will see the Irish telecoms company provide business support services to 3’s growing business customer base.

Pure customers who avail of the mobile 3G broadband services will be able to view all of their communications costs on a single bill. “Business customers like to get these things on to one bill as they want to see exactly how much they’re paying for their fixed line, line rental, broadband and mobile,” said Connell.

Pure Telecom get mobile with 3

Irish telecommunications company Pure Telecom today announced that it has teamed up with mobile network provider 3 to add mobile phone services to its existing mix of fixed-line telephony and broadband offerings. As well as enabling Pure to provide mobile and 3G broadband services, the alliance will see the Irish telecoms company provide business support services to 3’s growing business customer base.

Under the terms of the agreement Pure Telecom will resell 3’s recently launched business price plans which cater specifically to the needs of SMEs in Ireland, a potential market representing three quarters of a million subscribers. Already Pure offers DSL, wireless and satellite broadband along with landline rental and calls and this new agreement means that it will now provide the full complement of business telecoms services.

Pure Telecom has plans to begin offering business customers a range of competitive bundled packages which will result in considerable savings for business customers.

Paul Connell, Director of Pure Telecom says: “This agreement is consistent with our strategy of offering an all encompassing telecommunications service to business customers in Ireland. Pure has always been about bringing simplicity to customers and our deal with 3 demonstrates this commitment to providing a hassle free, easy to understand, quality telecoms service that doesn’t require multiple suppliers and the headaches that go with that.” He adds: “3’s business price plans are the best in the market and we are very confident that both companies will benefit from this partnership.”

For 3 the agreement will give the company access to Pure Telecom’s business support services with Pure acting as account relationship manager and providing a single point of contact for issue resolution, service provisioning and price plans.

Commenting on the agreement, Damien Gallagher, Head of Business at 3 said: “Pure’s expertise and success lies in servicing the business market where they already offer fixed and broadband services. It’s a win-win situation for both companies- we will benefit from Pure’s expertise and experience offering dedicated business customer care and Pure benefit from having access to Ireland’s most business-friendly mobile phone service and network for calls, text and data services.”

Pure Telecom’s businesses customers will save up to 30% over existing suppliers on their monthly mobile bill by availing of 3’s “Business Sharer” plans which are designed to offer customers flexibility with the ability to mix voice minutes with texts and data. These minutes are also shared among all mobiles on an account, resulting in easier account management and greater cost efficiency.

3 currently has 99.5% voice and text coverage in Ireland, along with the county’s widest network coverage for 3G services covering 87% of the population. Customers will further benefit from mobile broadband services, free 3 to 3 calls and EU roaming rates 33% better value than any other operator in the market.

Connell continues: “We see great potential for this service and for growing our business to new levels with highly attractive offerings for businesses in Ireland. This philosophy has ensured that Pure Telecom is one of the few profitable telecoms providers in Ireland.”

5 Top Tips for Teleworkers

Teleworking has been broadly defined as ‘substituting telecommunications for any form of work-related travel, thereby eliminating the distance restrictions of telecommuting.’

Paul Connell, MD of Pure Telecom says: “There are a myriad of reasons as to why more Irish workers are taking to teleworking, among them increasing petrol prices and constant traffic gridlock. The prospect of saving time and money by teleworking has only been reinforced by the quantum leap in the quality of communications tools such as VPN (virtual private networks), videoconferencing, and Converged Voice and Data services. In addition, higher bandwidth at home allows many workers to link seamlessly with their company intranet and internal phone networks.”

Pure Telecom has the following simple tips for those already teleworking or considering the switch to teleworking when it comes to their telecoms requirements:

1. Check for broadband availability: “Consistent broadband coverage is essential for today’s teleworker. As we know broadband is almost non-existent in many rural areas and even in cities such as Dublin and Cork there are areas that could be considered “black spots.” If broadband is not available in your area, think about getting satellite- it is the only broadband technology that allows high-speed access from anywhere in the country. Satellite can now support VPN applications and enable people to telework in areas where previously they could not.”

2. Ask how many other users will share your broadband connection: “Research contention and contention free broadband, i.e. broadband that is solely yours and not shared with other users in the area. Most teleworkers avail of residential broadband which, in most cases has very high contention of 48:1, i.e. you share your connection with 47 other users and your connection will slow considerably during business hours.”

3. Consider a one-stop solution for your telecoms requirements: “Get at least three quotes from the major service providers and outline clearly what your typical teleworking day is about. Look for those that can offer bundled phone and broadband packages that are tailored to your requirements and offer savings on calls you most frequently make.”

4. Treat security seriously: “Regular maintenance of firewalls, the latest anti-virus updates and other simple procedures, such as encryption, should be seriously considered to protect data. Do your research, talk with your IT department or call any of the service providers- the good ones will be more than happy to provide you with simple tips to enhance your everyday security.”

5. Look at the support your telecoms supplier can offer: “You are basically entrusting your working day to a third party provider so it is imperative that you choose one that you can absolutely rely upon and that each and every day there is a continuity of services. You don’t want to be treated as another number and left waiting in a queue for someone to resolve your problems. Try and avail of a supplier that offers you a dedicated account manager.”

Pure Telecom acquires NewTel Communications

-Pure’s annual turnover expected to double with takeover-

Pure Telecom, the Irish owned telecommunications company, today announced it has acquired NewTel Communications Ltd, the Dublin based provider of voice and data services to consumers in the Republic and the UK. Under the terms of the agreement Pure Telecom will acquire NewTel’s customer base of 12,000 subscribers, as well as its Citywest-based call centre and staff. The seven-figure cash deal will see Pure Telecom increase its yearly turnover by €8.5million.
Established in Ireland in 1999, NewTel Communications Limited was previously owned by Australian parent group, Orion Telecommunications Limited (ASX: OTL). Based on revenues, the Irish subsidiary was the largest subsidiary in Europe. The UK subsidiary was established in March 2003 with operations such as customer service, billing, provisioning and collections conducted from the Irish office in Dublin.

Pure Telecom is a privately owned, profitable Irish company founded in March 2002 to provide telecommunications services to businesses across Ireland.

Commenting on the acquisition, Pure Telecom’s Managing Director Paul Connell said, “NewTel’s customer base and its positive financial track record over the years made this acquisition an attractive proposition for Pure Telecom. NewTel is currently showing an operating profit on a month-to-month basis and combined with its turnover of €8.5 million for the year ending June 30th, the acquisition will lead to potential revenues of more than €15 million per annum for the Pure Telecom Group.”

Pure Telecom will operate NewTel under its existing brand name and customers will see no disruption in their service. Connell continues: “Today’s announcement will see existing Pure customers continuing to use and enjoy their current services without any interruption. The added value for these customers is that we intend to bring Pure Telecom’s customer service ethos to Pure. This includes a personalised account management system that ensures, among other services, a human voice at the end of the line, and a rapid turnaround on resolving any issues, without the necessity to jump through hoops.”

Since its foundation in 2002, Pure Telecom has performed well financially and rapidly reached profitability two years later. Turnover for year ending 2006 (December 31) reached €7million.

Pure Telecom Expands as Demand for Free Fixed Line Audit Grows.

- Create Savings and Add Value-

Pure Telecom, the Irish owned business telecommunications company, today announced it is expanding its dedicated fixed line audit team to deal with the growing demand for its service offering business customers a free consultation on how to improve their overall telecommunications infrastructure.

The company is employing 4 new staff to provide specifically tailored consultations on a customer by customer basis. The free service comprises a comprehensive review of the number of telephone lines a business is using and advises how they can reconfigure these to maximise efficiency and reduce costs. (can you verify and explain the independence of this service?)

The audits take a week to ten days to complete, depending on the size of the enterprise and review the number of lines the business is using as well as the broadband in use to ensure the most cost effective and reliable solution. Redundancy measures are also assessed to ensure continuity of service should connectivity fall over. In addition, Pure Telecom reviews and advises on the most suitable mobile packages to suit a customer’s requirements.The service is ‘non-intrusive’ and there is no downtime involved for the company. Within six to eight weeks of the data being analysed, savings for the company are realised.

“Our research and analysis has shown more than 70% of businesses are paying too much line rental, have too many lines or have the wrong configuration in place,” says Paul Connell, Director, Pure Telecom. “The primary aim of a telecom audit is twofold. One is to create savings; a recent survey identified that over 65% of Irish businesses could reduce their fixed line costs by reviewing their current line rental charges. Two, add value; more than 94% of our more than 3,500 clients have obtained significant refunds and/or savings through our telecoms audit process. We are the only operator to offer a service as wide ranging and as comprehensive as this and to implement all these changes under one roof.”

“For example, a company with ten analogue lines and two ISDN lines will pay on average €261.78 per month. If the customer were to switch these lines to a Fractional Rate ISDN (FRA), the cost would be reduced to €158.72 per month, a saving of €103.36 per month. Annualise that and you save more than €1,200 per year. That’s a substantial saving for any sized enterprise.”

For the next two months, Pure Telecom is offering new and existing customers’ free installation on cost saving FRA and PRA lines. The cost of installation is normally €3,299. These lines carry voice and data on one simple connection into your premises. FRA offers 16 64 k/bit channels with 100 DDI’s (Direct Dial In) numbers. The cost is €158.72 per month. The PRA line has 30 channels and 100 numbers. The cost is €264.11 per month.

Pure Telecom appoint Declan McLoughlin as Billing Manager

Name: Declan Mc Loughlin
Position: Billing Manager
Responsibilities: Mr Mc Loughlin joined Pure Telecom in 2003 and will be responsible for all IT related issues, including the development of tools to interface with external vendors, the continuous development of the billing platform and the development of customer care tools.

Previous Experience : IN (Intelligent Networks) Manager, O2.

Qualifications : Mr Mc Loughlin is a graduate of Carlow Regional Technical College with an N.C.E.A. Certificate in Science (Applied Physics) and an N.C.E.A. Diploma in Science (Photonics).

Pure Telecom launches Express Broadband

A Fully Transportable Broadband Satellite System That Delivers Unlimited Bandwidth Anytime, Anywhere

Fully automated, transportable broadband solution deployable in less than 5 minutes
Vehicle mounted satellite
Provides high-speed network access from the remotest of locations
Unlimited bandwidth
Broadband connectivity within minutes and at the touch of a single button

Business telecoms operator Pure Telecom, today launched a rapidly deployable and transportable satellite broadband system as part of its “Broadband Anywhere” range of services.

Ideal for emergency services, interim or tactical communications and event based connectivity requirements the system establishes a broadband data link in less than 5 minutes using a single button push self-pointing satellite lock-on. In the form of a satellite unit which can be mounted on most vehicles, the system is fully transportable meaning connectivity can be can be deployed virtually anywhere.

The two-way satellite solution is primarily targeted at corporations, government agencies and emergency services requiring recurrent short-term network access from anywhere. Applications run the gamut of special events, construction sites, emergency response, rural educational classes, mobile libraries or mobile Internet access cafés.

This new solution is an add-on to Pure Telecom’s “Broadband Anywhere” service, which delivers Irish companies broadband from anywhere in the country, typically using satellite. In launching this new service, Pure Telecom aims to bring flexible, easy to use and instant public or private network access to any temporary or remote location and areas not covered by other broadband operators. The company’s fixed and transportable satellite solutions can be used as primary link in areas normally beyond the reach of conventional broadband services, or alternatively as a secondary link for customers seeking redundancy for their existing connectivity

Commenting on the new system Paul Connell, director, Pure Telecom said: “Flexibility, speed and ease of use are just some of the benefits of this service. The one-button push system means deployment requires no tech expertise. For organisations that need to quickly set up access to the Internet and private data networks whenever and wherever necessary, this is the ideal solution. For those organisations where any down-time is intolerable , this system is the ultimate in business continuity ensuring geographical-independent redundancy in the event of service interruption. ”

The system, which is compatible with multiple modems, has the ability to offer unlimited bandwidth and, together with internet and email access, can deliver integrated web-based applications such as telephony, video conferencing and Virtual Private Networks.(VPN)

Speaking of one application for the service Connell says: “In an emergency or disaster response situation, where the public communications infrastructure may be damaged, destroyed or saturated, this system provides reliable connectivity in a matter of minutes allowing rescue teams to work and collaborate effectively. With unlimited bandwidth and the speed of set up, the system can deliver high-quality video streams to experts around the world and bring expert opinion right to the scene immediately.”

Since establishing in 2002 Pure Telecom has developed a profitable business delivering managed and bespoke telecommunications solutions to Irish businesses nationwide.

Editors’ note:

Latest statistics show that broadband penetration in Ireland stands at just 5.34pc, in comparison with best figures of 23.79pc in the Netherlands, 22.51pc in Denmark and 20.33pc in Finland.

At the end of January it emerged that the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources decided to scrap the Group Broadband Scheme for rural areas, citing poor demand.

In February last year, Chambers Ireland criticised the State’s broadband plans for the regions as not going far enough and called on the Government to invest in a nationwide fibreoptic broadband network.

ComReg Trends survey, released in December 2006, showed the following regional statistics for broadband access:

• One third of dialup users (countrywide) failed to get broadband.
• 39% of dialup users in Munster attempted to get broadband and failed
• 42% of dialup users in Connaught and Ulster attempted to get broadband and failed.
• 15% of dialup users in Dublin attempted to get broadband and failed.
• Digital divide between Dublin and rest of country is widening
  

Pure continues on profitable path

Pure Telecom sees 110% revenue growth in 3 years
Business telecommunications provider, Pure Telecom, today announced that it is on track to record revenues of €8m for 2006. With revenues of €3.8m recorded in 2004 this represents a 110% increase in turnover in three years and a 25% increase on 2005 when Pure reported revenues of €6.4m. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in 2005 stood at €411k and the company forecasts a 34% increase year-on-year to bring EBITDA for 2006 to €550k.

Commenting on the company’s strong performance Paul Connell, Director, Pure Telecom says: “Already this year we’ve brought in business in excess of €6.4million, the equivalent to last year’s turnover for the full year. A 25% increase in revenue year-on-year and continuing profitability is a great result for a telecoms company operating in such a challenging telecoms market and is testament to the excellent service and experienced team Pure has in place.”

Connell set up Pure Telecom along with business partner Alan McGonnell. Both held senior positions with a variety of European telecommunications companies before establishing Pure Telecom in 2002. Connell is a qualified chartered accountant and believes this training has stood well to him in running a successful telecoms company: “Our business model has always been to provide a service where everyone benefits- our customers and the Pure Telecom team. We don’t believe in sacrificing profit margins just to acquire customers and so have never sold our services below cost price. I believe it’s this kind of strategy that damages the reputation of the industry because eventually something has to give- whether that’s customer service levels or the whole company. We may not be the cheapest but we are still cost effective and can guarantee that we are committed to the business telecoms market and are here to say.”

Pure Telecom provides solely to the business sector in Ireland offering voice services, broadband connectivity and data solutions to a wide range of SME and corporate customers nationwide. The company employs 22 people, made up predominantly of customer service and support personnel who each provide one-to-one account management to its 3500 business customers.

Speaking of how Pure Telecom sets itself apart from competitors Connell says: “We constantly strive to offer a superior service to Irish businesses that isn’t just about getting them on board but gives them an unparalleled after-sales service. It’s not difficult to differentiate yourself this way in the Irish telecoms market since the incumbent is not very good at this and neither are the majority of alternative operators. Quality is the best kind of advertising. If you have all the money in the world to spend on marketing but your customer service reputation is weak, you’ll fin it difficult to succeed.”

For the future Pure Telecom will focus on organic growth combined with smaller niche business telecoms companies acquisitions to drive the company’s growth.