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Updated at 5.25pm
EIRCOM IS RINGING in price hikes for residential and business customers across its phone, internet and TV services.
The changes, which will be shown on bills from mid-April onwards, include increases on both monthly fees and call charges.
Monthly rates for those on double-, triple- and quad-play bundles – which include a combination of phone, broadband, mobile and TV services – will rise anywhere up to €8 per month.
Charges on its eFibre broadband plans will rise by as much as €5 a month – nearly 10% higher than the current rate for its unlimited package – for customers who signed up before August last year.
Eircom said the average monthly increase for all residential customers would be “less than €5″ while business clients could expect average price hikes below €9.
A full breakdown of the price changes can be viewed on the company’s website.
First big rise in four years
Eircom consumer managing director Jon Florsheim said it was the first time in four years that the company had announced price changes which affected most of its customers.
“We are doing more than any other operator in the market to invest in infrastructure, to provide new and innovative services and to offer real value to our customers,” he said.
Eircom has build the biggest fibre broadband network in Ireland but has already been struggling to get customers signed up to its plans.
Many more of its clients remain on older, DSL-based systems while it also boasts the largest share of fixed-line phone customers in Ireland.
Sky announced last month it was joining the high-speed broadband market with prices below its chief rivals.
Bitter pill for struggling businesses
Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) chief executive Mark Fielding said the price rises were excessive and opportunistic with high utility costs already threatening business competitiveness.
He said average price increases for business customers were “completely unjustified” given Ireland’s current inflation rate of 0.1%.
There is a danger that this could lead to a domino effect of utility price increases across the board,” he said.
“This development is a further blow to business owners who are still paying exorbitant energy costs despite the massive drop in oil prices.”
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The trough just keeps getting bigger.
@Mel Fitzpatrick: not nearly as big as the social welfare entitlement trough.
@John Terry: Lol, silly comment
With less population per TD now, are they up for a paycut? Seems only fair.
They’re the least of our concerns at the moment going week to week watching those gombeans talk nonsense in the dail year in year out they’ve certainly done a fantastic job with the housing crisis over the last 10 years the future looks great if you can live in a house the size of a kennel
Now we have to listen to more waffle, pay more to hear it , this country is going down the swamp, since these crowd have taken over , we need a new party for the Irish taxpayers, not the European Puppet masters.
Netherlands 15 million has 150
Wixford lol
@Modern Irish Dad: Where’s that?? Lol
Gombeens, party comes first, then the pinsion, then the unvouched expenses, then the subsistence for turning up to do your job, What a great little country.
Lucky for Josepha Madigan but less lucky for others.
Swings and roundabouts!
@Nestor:
Definitely.
Senator Malcom Byrne FF will be counting his lucky stars, he’s based in gorey which will probably be the biggest town in the new constituency. I’d say one SF, one FF and anyones guess for the last.
Which Wexford TD will lose out?
If I was Paul Kehoe I would be worried as would the Green TD in Wicklow
@P.J. Nolan: I’m in Gorey and I’d absolutely vote for the Green TD in Wicklow over Snr Malcolm Byrne.
Unlikely you will get the chance, Steven Matthews is based in Bray.
It’s about time we had more TD’s to make us feel safe in our homes…
Is wixford a new constituity.
@Terry Mckenna: don’t give them ideas they might actually try it wouldn’t surprise us
@Terry Mckenna: ya, not to be confused with Wexlow
I read all these comments and I think, if you think you can do better then get elected. But ye won’t because you prefer to belly ache. Get over yourselves, it’s Democracy
Amazing how they adhere to the constitution when it suits them.
Anyone who votes for any one of this crowd in government who have lied consistently to their own people with regard to illegal migrants, fake Ukrainian refugees, their anti farmer stance, the price gouging by the banks and ultility companies, their attack on our freedoms during the Covid scam, the climate emergency BS etc etc etc should hang their head in shame. They are working for the WEF/EU/UN not the Irish people. They were able to get beautiful modular homes ready in jig time for military aged men from around the globe while Irish families struggle to put a roof over their heads. Please stop voting for these EU shills. The only reason we don’t have more youth homelessness is many of our graduates have left the country thinking they’ll be fine when they come back with their UAE tax free money, come back to what. Ireland in another decade of the current demographic change being implemented by our so called government won’t exist. Elections have serious consequences.
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