Quinn swaps the Stadium of Light for a high-tech challenge

ONE MORE THING: HAVING SEVERED HIS ties with Sunderland football club in February, former Irish striker Niall Quinn is now hoping to score in business through satellite broadband company Q-Sat.

Quinn began his new career last week, having bought out the company’s promoters – John O’Brien and Trevor Burns – for a “sturdy seven-figure sum”.

Q-Sat’s target market is the 200,000 Irish homes, across the 32 counties that do not have access to broadband, and the three million such homes in Britain.

“I’m doing this because I believe in the product,” Quinn said. “The technology now is far better with greater bandwidth available.”

Quinn said Q-Sat has so far netted 5,000 subscribers. “We’re way ahead of target,” he claimed.

He is planning visits to the Scottish parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly to promote the service.

He acknowledged the move represents a “huge risk” for him personally and that there will be “knocks and bumps on the road ahead” but said Q-Sat has some “great options in the UK and further afield”.

Competition in the broadband market is fierce at present, but Quinn is satisfied that there’s “enough for all of us if we all do our job properly”.

Q-Sat has 20 staff directly employed and also uses installers and third-party call centres. Quinn dismissed speculation that financier Dermot Desmond might come on board as an investor.

“I wish. At this moment, I’m driving it myself . . . I’m the sole funder.”

It’s a long way removed from the Stadium of Light, where Quinn enjoyed success both as a player and as chairman.

“It’s a new challenge for me. In many ways, it’s a scarier challenge than Sunderland. I’m not a techie. I’m doing it because I believe we have a great product. I’m very focused on getting this right. It’s my future.”



http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2012/0309/1224313058355.html


Nice one quinnie, if we can back you ,Im sure folks will, good luck with your new venture.

 

I wish him well but he won't be getting my business at the prices being quoted for broadband!

 

Your not wrong Willa.
I would have considered swapping purely because it was SNQ but the prices are silly. I may contact them and haggle.

 

Got to be a discount for the lads, sure he will want us on his side, if only to get him off the ground.

 

The service is aimed for people living in the collective arsehole of nowhere. We're talking Father Ted country on the 'wesht' coast, so he seems to be tapping into a market where some poor sods are still using dialup (ugh). My ISP provider(on the east coast)bundles 50mb uncontested broadband with phone and about 75 cable channels for around 70-80 euros per month, not too shabby. So best of luck Niall.

 

He might just be the lad to do great things for those folks, after all he is a CHAMPION.

 

Probably noticed on his begging tour that a lot of fans dont go to games due to cost and decided to go in the direction that seems to have an achievable market. No adults for a tenner or any of that bolsh. Good luck Quinn you seem a decent bloke and i thort he was well set at Sunlun to be honest. Very surprised hes gone, or is he still part of the club? Steady progress , buildin year on year, back the product/manager bruce... and maybe he will hit on a winner this time.