New mobile network set to enter Irish market

New network iD is set to shake up the Irish mobile market, with individually tailored plans it hopes will be popular with consumers.

The mobile phone network, which is owned by Dixons Carphone, claims it can save consumers an average of €166 per year with a flexibility that will allow personalised plans that can be changed from month to month at no extra cost.

Subscribers can choose the allowance they need for text messages, calls and data, with the average plan costing a little more than €20 per month.

The company’s plans will also include 4G as standard.

iD is aiming for 6 per cent of Ireland's mobile market in five years. The network is one of two mobile virtual network operators that were set up as part of the conditions for the merger of Three Ireland and O2.

iD mobile will use Three Ireland’s network, although it has also brought its own technology.

"Unlike other MVNOs, we've brought everything of our own apart from the radio network. That gives us more flexibility," said James Gray, consumer director for iD Ireland.

iD will be going up against established mobile operators Vodafone, Three and eMobile/ Meteor, as well MVNOs such as Tesco Mobile and Postfone.

Usage plan

iD customers can choose how much they want to pay for their handset upfront and spread the cost of the balance across 12, 18, or 24 months.

The usage plan can then be built, ranging from 100 to 5,000 minutes or texts, and 125MB to 20GB of data, with the cheapest plan at €10 and the most expensive at €29.

Once the handset has been paid for in full, the cost is removed from the monthly bill.

Unlike other networks, iD is avoiding the “unlimited” plan.

“We don’t think it’s that transparent: unlimited is always limited,” Mr Gray said.

He said the network was seeking to “demystify” mobile networks for consumers and make it more transparent.

Customers will also be able to trade in the handsets they have bought with iD for updated versions.

“We think there is a lot of value in handsets in the market,” he said.

iD consulted KillBiller, a service that provides recommendations on mobile plan based on comparisons, to pit its offerings against the competition.

According to its research, a third of users on 3G and 4G plans would find a better value option on iD, with more than 76 per cent of 4G users finding a cheaper plan with the new network.

Value

For 3G subscribers, Tesco Mobile came out on top for value in KillBiller’s research, offering more than 42 per cent of customers the option of a cheaper plan.

KillBiller's Bart Lehane said the new network's entry into the Irish market would "significantly add" to competition, which would be a good move for consumers.