Mobile phone users in the Republic of Ireland are paying up to five times more for domestic phone calls than customers in other European countries, the European Commission (EC) has revealed.
Domestic phone calls made within the Republic of Ireland cost, on average, 10.2 cent per minute, whereas the average price across the EU is 9.1 cent per minute, according to the EC.
Mobile users across the European Union face huge price differences for the same services, the commission said.
The largest price difference is in domestic mobile calls, with a 774pc difference between Lithuania, the country with the least expensive rates at 1.9 cent a minute, and the Netherlands, where domestic calls cost the most at 14.1 cent per minute.
The differences in price, the EC said, can’t be explained by differences in quality, differences in the cost to provide the service, or by differences between countries in consumer purchasing power.
“As these numbers clearly show, the 28 national telecoms markets in Europe today are not benefitting consumers like a single market would,” said Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice-president with responsibility for the Digital Agenda.
“It is critical for the whole EU to move quickly to build a real single market to achieve a truly connected continent.”
Next month, Kroes will present a new package aimed at strengthening the telecoms single market.
