Vodafone adds 15,000 new Irish customers


24 Jul 2006

Vodafone Ireland now has 2,090,000 customers in Ireland, figures released this morning show. For its first quarter ended 30 June, the mobile operator added 15,000 customers.

Average monthly revenue per user (ARPU) was €48.80. Vodafone’s figures showed a decline in ARPU compared with the same period last year, when the average monthly total was €51.40. Irish customers still paid far more than most of their European counterparts; the figures show German ARPU levels at €22.10; in the UK this was €23.70 and in Italy this was €27.60.

Irish Vodafone subscribers with a contract paid on average €102.80 per month. Prepaid customers paid on average €29.30 per month.

Throughout the whole Vodafone group, revenues increased by 9.2pc in what the company said was a “good operating performance in challenging markets”. The operator highlighted continued growth in 3G services during the quarter with 1.3 million 3G devices added, bringing the total so far to 11.1 million including all group subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates.

Interestingly, Vodafone hinted at a wider launch for converged services which are aimed at giving the company new revenue streams, particularly in markets where mobile phone penetration is over the 100pc mark. These involve a blend of mobile and broadband internet services including what Vodafone called “the provision of DSL through a mobile-centric approach”.

The first market for these services was Germany with Vodafone Zuhause which had 894,000 customers by the end of June. Takeup has also been strong in Italy where the company launched Vodafone Casa in May. In its statement Vodafone said: “The Group expects to begin to offer similar services in the majority of its European markets during this financial year and several announcements are planned for the months ahead.”

By Gordon Smith