€6mn data centre to power new Carphone Warehouse mobile operator
Thu 4 Dec 2014
Carphone Warehouse has announced that it will be investing €6mn in a new data centre to support its own mobile operator, which it is launching in July 2015.
The data centre, which will be based in Citywest, County Dublin, will open in January next year. According to the mobile retailer, the new facility will be powered by “cutting-edge technology” from telecom service providers Huawei and Mvneco.
Peter Scott, managing director at Carphone Warehouse Ireland, said the new data centre would host the technical infrastructure to develop and manage the company’s new mobile operator, reflecting the retailer’s “ambitious plans.”
“Our plan is to offer a highly innovative, next-generation service that is currently not available in today’s mobile market,” said Scott.
“To fully realise this, and to support the massive amounts of data generated by consumer mobile use, we require dependable, future-proof technology […] The new data centre will not only deliver reliability, but give Carphone Warehouse the necessary infrastructure to support an innovative offering with a real competitive edge,” he continued.
The new mobile operator is a €30mn project, which the company hope will lead to the creation on 50 full-time positions, as well as indirect employment opportunities through local partneships.
Aiming to grasp a hold of a six percent market share over the first five years, the Carphone Warehouse operator will have its own distinct brand, as well as dedicated network capacity on Three’s infrastructure.
As part of Three’s acquisition of O2 Ireland, the European Commission outlined that the telco must offer capacity to two mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) to ensure fair competition within the market. The Carphone Warehouse operator will join UPC, as the second company to sign a Three MVNO partnership.
“We believe that the blend of our retail footprint, mobile expertise, consumer credentials, and professional team leaves us well placed to make a real impact in the Irish mobile market,” added Scott.
