MORE THAN 14,000 gig goers downloaded the official guide to the Oxegen festival to their mobile phones last weekend., writes John Collins.

The application was delivered using Bluetooth technology and the service providers claim it was the largest Bluetooth project yet carried out in Ireland.

The Java application which provided information such as running times, health and safety advice and a site map, was broadcast from 24 Bluetooth access points which provided coverage of about 80 per cent of the 10 sq mile site.

Irishbluetooth.com, the company that provided the service on behalf of festival organisers MCD, said it detected 49,000 phones at Oxegen that had Bluetooth switched on.

The new firm is a joint venture between Setanta Screens, a subsidiary of the broadcaster which provides large screens for concerts and sporting events, telecoms provider Airspeed and PTV.ie, a supplier of interactive television systems for bars.

Ronan O'Kelly, managing director of Setanta Screens, said the event was "a huge success" and showed there is a real appetite "for meaningful, valuable content delivered to people's phones".

Irishbluetooth.com now plans to roll out the system to more than 300 high footfall sites over the next year. Mr O'Kelly said it would be looking to locate its access points in areas with over 10 million people passing a year, such as major shopping centres and transit points.

He said the key was to provide information that the recipient found valuable. Mr O'Kelly said a rival's system which was installed in a shopping centre was switched off because shoppers found the information too commercial.

Although the Oxegen guide was sponsored by O2, Mr O'Kelly said the company would generate most of its revenues from service contracts with owners of venues who wanted to install the system. This would ensure the content would be available free of charge.

Irishbluetooth.com will be installing systems in Marlay Park, Dublin, for a series of concerts promoted by MCD. Mr O'Kelly said the system would also be installed at a heritage site in August where it would be used to deliver relevant video content to visitors.