Low-cost airline Ryanair has entered the telecoms market and is offering cheap phone calls to consumers in Ireland, Spain, the UK, Germany, Belgium and France.
Trading as Ryanair Telecom, the company is a joint venture between the airline and an operator called Bumble Bee Telecom. According a spokesperson, the company offers fixed line, mobile, phone card, talking email and PC-to-phone services.
At present the company is offering €100 free to the first 1,000 individuals who switch their fixed line phone calls to the fledgling telco.
Among the services on offer are low-cost roaming rates on SIM cards, fixed rate mobile calls anywhere in the world and low-cost email by phone.
At present the company is offering low-cost roaming rates in Belgium, France and the UK, with three more countries being added in next months.
The company’s landline services are currently available in the UK and Ireland and will be made available across other European countries during the next year.
In addition, the company is claiming cost reductions on calls to various international locations, including France and Japan, ranging between 20pc and 70pc on call prices.
A spokesperson for the airline told siliconrepublic.com: “It’s all part of Ryanair’s strategy to provide better and cheaper services to people travelling overseas. It’s part of the same strategy as having Ryanair credit cards and other services such as car rental, cottages, hotels and travel insurance.”
By John Kennedy
