Mobile phone users are being encouraged to shop around for the cheapest operator by logging on to a consumer support website which becomes active today.
ComReg, the Commission for Communications Regulation, is promising consumers a one-stop shop for comparing mobile phone costs at its new website (www.askcomreg.ie).
People logging on to the site will be able to find the cheapest mobile phone operator for their particular lifestyle, or usage, by answering a few quick questions online.
The website, which took six months to create, is modelled on existing online consumer services offered by regulators in other European states.
ComReg is planning to introduce similar web-based price comparisons for both fixed and internet phone users.
The regulator's consumer affairs commissioner, Mike Byrne, and consumers' rights campaigner Eddie Hobbs will launch the new website this morning.
More than 3.8 million people use mobile phones in Ireland, spending an average of €54 a month on their phones. Mobile-phone use is highest among young people who may not be as price conscious as older users.