Mobile phone usage in Ireland is one of the largest in Europe per head of population. There is over 120 per cent penetration with five million subscribers in a population of 4.2 million. (Our American visitors prefer to call them cell phones)

The Irish like to talk - and the average number of mobile call minutes per customer in Ireland is approximately 35% more than the European average.

The choice of mobile phone network providers in Ireland has grown in the past few years. The main mobile phone providers and networks are listed here : Click on the links below to find out more about pricing and the phones available.


Vodaphone   Meteor Three   O2       Tesco    48Months

Vodafone has the biggest share of the market - with 42% followed by O2 with 32%. Meteor and eMobile are owned by Eircom - and they have about 20% of the market. Three has about 6% with the others such as Tesco and 48months making up the remainder.


This comparison of pre pay mobile phone charges will also be of interest - showing that you can get unlimited calls and texts to any mobile network for just €20 a month from 48Months

All the various mobile networks have their advantages and disadvantages and their own various pricing structures with offers of so called "free" call time etc.

Pay as You Go - or Pre-Pay is more popular in Ireland. About two thirds of phones are used as Pay as You Go and the rest are on contracts of 12 months or more.

Don't assume that you will be better off on a contract if you use the phone a lot. In some cases - Pay as You Go (Prepay) can work out cheaper than a monthly contract.
For example - 48months is a new online only company that uses the O2 network - for €20 a month you get unlimited calls and unlimited texts to ANY Irish mobile number .

Another fairly good pay as you go deal is the Meteor Anytime Choice - if you top up by €30 a month you get unlimited free calls to any network including landlines . The €30 credit can then be used towards data or texts . Find out more at Meteor Ireland