Know before you go with "Traffic Text" from O2 and iTraffic

Dublin, 9 October, 2009 - Is being stuck in traffic driving you mad? Are you constantly in a jam? Well this can now be a thing of the past thanks to Traffic Text, Ireland's first national real-time traffic information system, enabling drivers to better plan their journeys and in turn save them time and help to reduce daily stress.

Developed by O2 and Irish-based company, iTraffic, "Traffic Text" provides customers with the latest national inter-city and M50 journey times* to help pre-plan journeys. Before setting off on a journey, simply text the road name to 53JAM (53526) to receive the latest travel times on that route**. For example text 'M50' to 53526/53JAM and receive a text like this: Travel times at 11.50 - M50 North: 28.3 min; M50 South: 27.1 min. For free information on the service text INFO to 53JAM/53526. Travel times are updated every five minutes on the new service to ensure accuracy.

Commenting, Karl Aherne, Digital & Entertainment services manager- Telefónica O2 Ireland, said, "The beauty of this service is that it will give M50 and inter-city drivers the information they need to best plan their journey in advance, saving them time and hopefully reducing stress levels. And of course our advice to all customers is never text while driving".

Also commenting, Brendan Conway, Managing Director of iTraffic said, "Commuters getting into their cars can now to do so with the confidence they will arrive at their destination within a particular time and avoid routes that may be congested. We want drivers to 'Know before you Go' and Traffic Text allows them to do that"

In addition to "Traffic Text", O2 and iTraffic also plan to introduce a range of additional traffic and travel information services later this year. Among them will be a live traffic mapping service on the mobile phone, where roads are colour coded to display the most and least congested routes (green for free flowing routes and red for congested), this will be followed by a full GPS navigation service with turn by turn directions for customers to help them avoid traffic congestion.

For further information on the new traffic text service visit http://www.o2.ie/traffic

* The full list of intercity routes covered by the new service is contained at www.o2.ie/traffic
** Sending a text is charged at the standard text rate. Texts received cost 60c (inc VAT) per message