Latest news with #ThreeIreland
Irish Independent
19 hours ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Wicklow residents celebrate as 18m phone mast is refused planning
Shared Access Ireland were seeking planning for the development on a site at Wicklow Golf Club, which was due to provide 3G and 4G digital connectivity to Wicklow town and surrounding areas. The proposed development caused plenty of concern amongst locals living nearby, and 37 submissions were received by Wicklow County Council, including individual submissions and group submissions from residents of Dunbur Glen and Bayside Glen, outlining a number of concerns, including the site's close proximity to the popular cliff walk. Worried residents of Seapoint, Seacliff, Bayside Glen and Dunbur Glen also all met up on July 14 to outline a plan of action in order to voice their objections. The planning section made reference to section CPO 17.38 of the County Wicklow Development Plan 2022-2028, concerning the protection of identified views and prospects from development that could obstruct them or be visually intrusive. The site, through its prevailing topography and prevailing boundary treatment, forms part of one such uninterrupted view, and as such adds to the overall setting of the prospect. The scale of the proposed telecommunications structure and associated fencing and its close proximity to the adjoining public road was also noted. While conclusions in the submitted visual impact assessment, and the attempts to minimise the visual impact at design stage were recognised, it was still considered that the development would meaningfully obstruct the identified views towards the sea to the east, and would also be seen to form a visually intrusive feature within said protected area. Therefore the development was considered to be contrary to the provisions of section CPO 17.38 and as a result not permissible. The 18m high monopole was due be situated on a new concrete pad foundation. The mast itself would be comprised of galvanised steel and was due to be grey in appearance. The antennas were to be fixed to the mast with a maximum height of 18m arranged in a stack formation, where three antennas will be fixed at 12.6m, three at 15m and three at 18m. The uppermost antennas were initially to be utilised by Three Ireland to provide 3G and 4G coverage, while the other antennas would be dedicated towards use in due course. The antennas were to be fixed to the mast at 100, 250 and 340 degrees, so the signal would be directed towards the areas where coverage was most required.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Mobile operator Three Ireland adds 500,000 new customers in first half of year
Mobile operator Three Ireland said customer numbers continued to grow in the first half of the year, as the company expanded in the internet of things (IoT) market and grew its 5G broadband service. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) rose 8 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier, growing to €84 million on growing customer numbers and a tight grip on costs. The Irish company said customer numbers rose 500,000 compared to the first half of 2024, reaching 5.2 million. The mobile operator now has more than 48 per cent of the Irish market. Three continued to invest in its business, with capital expenditure of €39 million over the first six months of 2025. It also made efforts to guard against future energy inflation with initiatives to save energy across the network infrastructure. READ MORE The company has invested almost €2 billion in its Irish business to date, with more than 94 per cent population coverage for its 5G network, and 99 per cent for 4G. [ Vodafone, eir and Three are hiking broadband prices. What can you do about it? Opens in new window ] Three Ireland chief executive Elaine Carey said the company was pleased with its first half results. 'Three is continuing to invest heavily in Ireland in support of our customers' ever-growing demand for data and connectivity,' she said. Parent company CK Hutchison posted a 11 per cent rise in first-half underlying profit on Thursday. The ports-to-telecoms group said in a filing that underlying profit climbed to HK$11.3 billion (€1.23 billion) on a post-IFRS 16 basis. It compares with a UBS forecast of a 6 per cent rise. However, a one-time non-cash accounting loss, including from the merger of 3UK and Vodafone UK, saw the net profit drop 92 per cent from a year ago to HK$852 million. CK Hutchison is due to discuss its interim results with analysts, offering the first opportunity to quiz the management about the plan to sell its ports business since it was announced in March. – Additional reporting: Reuters
Irish Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland's most common white lie comes to light in new study
New research has revealed the most common white lie told by Irish people - the claim "I'm on the way", when you're not. According to the national survey, 68 per cent of Irish adults admit to telling someone they're en route before actually leaving and 58 per cent going as far as stating they are only five minutes away. The study, commissioned by Three Ireland, shows that behaviour is most common among younger adults – with 79 per cent of 20 to 30-year-olds owning up to it – and men are more likely to do it than women (72 per cent vs 64 per cent). 59 per cent of respondents also say they've blamed "bad signal" to avoid a call or reply – even when their coverage was fine. Highlights from the report include: The study comes as Three Ireland was ranked Ireland's top network for "coverage, reliability and speed" by Opensignal. To celebrate the award, Three is rebranding three of its flagship stores to One for the next four days in Grafton Street, Dublin; Patrick's Street, Cork; and Shop Street, Galway. "Opensignal has named us Ireland's number one network for coverage, reliability and speed – so to celebrate, we're changing some of our store names to 'One' to reflect that," said Ronan Gibney, Director of Sales at Three Ireland. "Because while we know Irish people are prone to spoofing at times, one claim that isn't exaggerated is we're now Ireland's number one network, independently proven by Opensignal."
Sunday World
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Ireland's singer-songwriter sensation hails TikTok for his breakthrough
Robert Grace says that prior to Tiktok 'no one was listening' to his music – but that all changed with the social media platform. TikTok sensation Robert Grace has teamed up with Three Ireland as their first brand ambassador for City Stages 2025 - and wants to give emerging talent the chance to perform at this year's Electric Picnic. Songwriter and singer Grace (32) shot to fame himself after posting his songs Fake Fine and The Hurt You Gave Me on TikTok. 'If it wasn't for TikTok I really don't think I'd be where I am today,' Robert tells Magazine+. 'I got in on TikTok early and before a lot of people realised it was going to be the way forward. It has been a huge platform for me. 'Some people didn't get on board so soon. You have to follow the way the industry goes, you have to be able to adapt and you have to be watching out… that's just the way it is. 'Before TikTok no one was listening to my music, I didn't have a way of getting it out there and TikTok really gave me that. Today, most of the new songs you hear on the radio come from TikTok and 90 per cent of all the new artists have been discovered on TikTok. 'That's why Three Ireland's City Stages are going through this route to find new talent and give them the chance to perform at the Electric Picnic. 'I got to play Electric Picnic the year before last and it was one of the best experiences and probably one of the best gigs I've ever done. It was amazing. If I could play at it every year I would. Robert Grace Three Ireland City Stages 2025 Eddie copy May 18 'That's why I feel it's so special for artists at this stage of their career and who would never have a chance of playing at Electric Picnic to have that opportunity. 'It could be career changing and life changing for these artists. First of all, you never know who could be watching, who could be there, and as well as that it's great for your CV. 'I definitely think whoever gets to go it will really give them that drive to continue and to really give it everything because they'll experience what it feels like to be at this level.' Robert, who's from Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny, wrote his first smash hit Fake Fine — a song dealing with mental health issues — at the start of the first Covid lockdown in March 2020 and in the months that followed it made a connection with thousands of fans through TikTok. Grace then seized the opportunity to build a successful career in music. 'If you really want to be an artist, or in the music industry, I feel like you just have to give it absolutely everything, regardless of whether it's working at the start or not. 'My brother did music as well for a long time and he was one of my inspirations. I used to see him perform and I used to say, 'I want to do that.' But he was also a super talented electrician and I remember there was this competition in Ireland for Ireland's best electrician years ago. He got to the final of it, but he didn't do it because he had a gig on. 'Now he has his own business in Australia and is doing really, really well. But I always felt like the reason I pushed for music to work for me is that I am literally useless at everything else. I have absolutely nothing to fall back on, it's music or nothing. I was like, if I don't make this work I don't have anything. So I really dedicated my whole life to it. Music is my whole life. It's not only my work, it's also my hobby.' Robert has been open about his mental health struggles in the past and has used his songwriting to voice it through songs such as Fake Fine. 'I'm doing well these days,' he says. 'You are never cured, but I have gotten a lot better at dealing with stuff. I could go a couple of months being great and then have a week or two where it's a bit rocky, but I know how to deal with it. 'When it first started happening to me I didn't know how to handle it and now I have come to the realisation that there's no shame in it or anything like that, it's just a part of who I am. 'I have no problem talking about it and I think that always helps as well. 'It helps other people when they see that they are not alone. That's what I like to get across in my music, to let people know that you are not alone because for me that's how I felt for a while as nobody really talks about it. But I feel a lot better now.' Robert's career is flying high with successful live performances and other projects. 'I have been releasing a lot of stuff recently with one of my good friends Ryan Mack,' he points out. 'The plan is to release a song every month for this whole year. 'I'm also doing a lot of songwriting for other artists. There's a TV show being made in Thailand and at the moment I'm after getting three or four songs for the series because they want original songs for nearly every episode. I have my foot in a load of doors.' To be in with a chance of performing at Electric Picnic, post a TikTok video showcasing your talent — it can be an original song or cover, solo or band. Use #ThreeCityStages2025 to make sure your entry gets spotted. Tag @ThreeIreland and hit follow to stay updated.
