Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 May 2014
273. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his Department has investigated the high charges imposed by mobile telephone providers here; his views on whether the charges are excessively high in direct comparison with the rest of mainland Europe; if he will now commit to addressing the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19946/14]
View answerMobile service providers, operating within the EU internal market, are free to set their national call charges at a level they judge the market will accept. ComReg operates a website www.callcosts.ie to assist mobile telephone users in Ireland to identify the most competitively priced mobile telephone plans suitable to their needs. The ComReg site also offers advice on additional checks customers should undertake before moving from one provider to another, in order to avoid penalty payments for early cessation of services, as one example of the additional points customers should consider in their own interests.
ComReg also publishes quarterly data reports on developments within the electronic communication sector which include price comparisons across participating EU countries. The performance of service providers on mobile prices in Ireland varies across the different baskets considered. In the December 2013 report Ireland:
- ranks 7th lowest among the 21 countries benchmarked in the high user post-paid mobile basket,
- ranks 8th lowest priced out of the 21 benchmarked countries for the medium user post-paid mobile basket,
- ranks 3rd highest of 20 countries compared for the low user post-paid mobile basket, and
- ranks 5th highest among the 21 benchmarked countries in the pre-paid mobile basket.
The wide variation in performance across these different categories is indicative that consumer choice is exerting downward pressure on prices in categories where consumer price sensitivity is keenest.
