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AFTER A HIGH-PROFILE launch party on Friday which saw UPC officially rebranded as Virgin Media, the service gets down to business by officially launching its mobile service today.
It enters an increasingly crowded market – it’s the second new addition in about as many months - but how does it compare to the competition and is there enough there to convince people to switch?
The big part is there are no contracts for users to sign up to. Instead, it only offers 30-day contracts meaning customers can leave or switch at any time.
Much like Tesco Mobile and ID, Virgin Mobile is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) meaning it uses the infrastructure from Three to bring its service. Three did recently announce it was investing heavily in its infrastructure but for those already on the network, the results of that investment won’t arise until much later.
For the first few months, the service will be offering 2G and 3G services. All of its plans are ’4G ready’ meaning when it introduces 4G, all customers will get it automatically. Virgin Mobile say 4G will be introduced in the first half of 2016.
Interestingly, Virgin Mobile isn’t selling any phones or handsets. Instead, it’s only dealing with SIM-cards so you will have to stick to your current phone or buy a new one elsewhere.
The major takeaway for Current Virgin customers is the deals are a little bit cheaper for them, compared to new customers.
Since the focus is to convince existing customers to switch mobile providers, its unlimited offer is free for the first three months although the catch is you have to re-commit for 12 months on your Virgin Media fixed services (broadband and/or TV package).
Non-Virgin customers aren’t as lucky with the unlimited plan costing €30 per month and no free period to ease you in.
Here is the breakdown of both plans for current and non-Virgin customers.
Virgin customers
€15 per month - 250 mins, 250 texts, 1GB.
€25 per month - Unlimited calls, texts, and data.*
Non-Virgin customers
€20 per month - 250 mins, 250 texts, 1GB.
€30 per month- Unlimited calls, texts, and data.*
There is also the option to get an international add-on which costs an extra €5 per month. This isn’t a roaming package but instead applies to international calls and texts from Ireland.
The add-on includes 50 minutes and 50 texts to any landline and mobile in Europe Zone 1 which includes:
UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Austria, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein, Greenland, Monaco, Andorra, San Marino and Vatican City.
*In this context, unlimited means a monthly allowance of 10,000 minutes (landline and mobile), 10,000 texts and 30GB of data. This only applies when you’re in Ireland and does not apply when you make calls or send texts to an outside number, or make them outside of the country.
These conditions are consistent across all of the other mobile providers out there.
In terms of choice, it’s limited. Two contract options – with the emphasis leaning heavily on the unlimited plan – doesn’t give much choice, especially when you compare it to other rival plans like the ones offered by ID.
However, it is priced competitively compared to its rivals, and it needs to be as it has much to compete against both established players and new and more flexible rivals.
All prices below are for SIM-only billpay plans.
Vodafone
€30 per month - (30-day contract) Unlimited calls/texts to any network* + 1GB data.
€35 per month - (12-month contract) Unlimited calls/texts to any network* + 5GB data + 100 international minutes + 100 international texts.
*No limit was specified in the terms and conditions for Vodafone’s SIM-only plans.
Three
€25.41 per month - (30-day contract) 350 flexi-units (calls and texts) All you can eat data, Unlimited Three to Three calls.*
€39.75 per month - (30-day contract) Unlimited* flexi-units (calls and texts) Unlimited Three to Three calls.*
*Unlimited refers to 3,000 minutes per month regarding Three to Three calls, 10,000 flexi-units, and All you can eat data has a cap of 15GB where going over it could result in limited access.
Meteor
€12 per month – (30 day contract) 100 minutes, Unlimited texts, 1GB of data (No 4G)
€20 per month - (30 day contract) 400 minutes, Unlimited texts, 2GB of data
€24 per month - (30 day contract) Unlimited minutes and texts, 5GB of data
€31.20 per month - (30 day contract) Unlimited minutes and texts 50 EU roaming mins and texts, 50 international mins and texts, 15GB of data
*Unlimited means 45,000 minutes and 10,000 texts.
Tesco Mobile
€10 per month - (30-day SIM<) 100 minutes, 100 texts, 100MB of data.
€20 per month - (30-day SIM) 300 minutes, 300 texts, 500MB of data.
€30 per month - (30-day SIM) Unlimited* minutes and texts, 15GB of data.
€25 per month - (12-month SIM) Unlimited* minutes and texts, 15GB of data.
*Unlimited means up to 10,000 minutes, 10,000 texts, and 15GB of data.
ID
Due to the nature of ID’s plans, there are numerous variations to choose from so listing all of the possible combinations would be both long and impractical.
All SIM-only billpay plans are 30-day contracts and all amounts (minutes, calls and data) offered are listed alongside their cost.
Minutes - 100 (€3.50), 250 (€5), 500 (€6.50) 1,000 (€7.50) and 5,000 (€8).
Texts - 100 (€3.50), 250 (€5), 500 (€6.50) 1,000 (€7.50) and 5,000 (€8).
Data - 125MB (€3) 500MB (€5), 1GB (€7), 3GB (€10), 20GB (€13).
On the surface, its unlimited plans and data allowance looks great. 30GB is a generous allowance per month and its closest rival, ID, offers 20GB at best.
But the unlimited deal that Virgin offers will only be tempting to those who are already customers since the first three months, the price is reduced slightly (even without the free months, the plan would cost €300 per year) and it requires you to commit to Virgin Media services for another year.
The 30-day contract offer does mean you can opt-out of its mobile service at any time, making such a transition less risky if it not quite what you’re looking for.
If you’re a non-Virgin customer, then it doesn’t quite work out as well as the cost for the unlimited plan is €360 per year, which similar to many other plans out there. You might not even need unlimited calls and 30GB, while generous, could be overkill if you’re not a heavy data user.
There’s also the small matter of waiting till next year for 4G coverage, meaning you’ll be hard pressed to reach that limit with a 2G/3G connection (something to think about if you’re switching from a plan that allows 4G).
In short, if you’re already with Virgin, then the unlimited plan is an interesting option to consider, especially if you’re a heavy data user and intend to continue using its broadband and/or TV services for the next year or so.
For those who aren’t already customers, it’s recommended you look at the breakdown of calls, texts and data you use first before you make the leap. It’s tempting, but shopping around first could be better for your wallet in the long-run.
Update: An earlier version of this article had the mobile tariffs for Meteor and not the SIM-only plans. This has now been corrected.
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When you call a climate emergency and then pump millions into the emissions spewing beef sector. Typical FG talking out of both sides of their mouth
@tofu for tea: You’re right. Ban farming in this country altogether. Put a few hundred thousand people out of work. And import all our meat and dairy products at a hugely inflated price. Thatl show em.
@tofu for tea: So lose jobs, put people out of work.. send more people abroad to never return, and importing beef is what you want?
….riiiiight
@Damien: in a world of climate breakdown people can’t carry on as normal, you do realise that? There is a need to seriously cut back on meat and dairy both for the planet and our health
@tofu for tea: FG should putting in concrete plans to transition farmers into cultivating more crops and protein rich foods. Teenagers these days are moving away from meats, beef in particular. Problem is FG only think as far as the next election.
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: totally agree, we need innovative solutions, not more of the same
@tofu for tea: People just need to travel less, the amount of fuel burnt on an atalantic flight is far more damaging than eating a steak once a day for a few years.
@tofu for tea: People have lived in full health and to a ripe old age on a diet of meat and dairy products for generations. If you read every health food article and ticked off every single food that was supposedly bad for you. Then your daily diet would consist of certain types of fruit and water.
@Damien: it’s not about even if it’s healthy for you or not though at this stage. It’s about saving the planet. More efficient methods of transport and techniques in agriculture (and what we grow/produce).
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: Growing more crops instead of beef isn’t really the best solution. The fertility levels of Irish soil varies a lot, the land to the east and south of the shannon are more suited to tillage, and produce a much higher yield than the west of the country. In the wetter climate west of the shannon, grass is the best crop for the area, hence why we have so many beef and dairy farms in Ireland. Also, in general, replacing beef farms with tillage is not a simple solution, and also comes with extra risks. Grass land does not get many pesticides sprayed on the land, unlike cereals and veg. Soil erosion is another factor.
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: Skynet will have defeated the human resistance by 2029. I’m going to eat and drink well before the machines take over.
@Do the Bort man: I know, it’s a complex problem. The soggy land of Connacht isn’t suited to much only rearing sheep. I previously would have been against genetically modifying food but it could be a necessity in years to come to sustain the population of Africa and for us to produce crops we never would have. Either that or have greenhouses everywhere.
@Damien: that’s 10 solid years of leisure ahead of you, Damien. All the best!
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: Just hoping Mayo win Sam before they take over.
@Damien: there are 70,000 full time farmers in Ireland.
Stop eating beef, save the Planet
@Charles McGuire: 2% of global emissions are from air travel.
20% of irish emissions are from farming.
@tofu for tea: Vegans are worse for our health than meat.
@Charles McGuire: 225 pounds of greenhouse gas per cow per day, thats 246,000 pounds in 3 years.
159,000 pounds produced by a plane from dublin to new york.
You sir are wrong.
@ciar0: There are 137,000 registered farms in Ireland. There are many part time farmers as well .
@Damien: there are 70,000 full time farmers, solely relting on farming income.
Even includong labourers and contractors its a long way shy of your figures
@ciar0: it’s 30% from irish agriculture. We produce 1000% of our own needs so it’s roughly 3%for feeding our population. EU is 4.32% and America 2.8% but they use gm which gives them an advantage. Globally it’s 18%. Mainly due to deforestation to produce palm oil. Ironically being anti beef farmer will drive down price and put traditional family farming practices which are practically carbon neutral according to bbcs truth on climate change program out of business and encourage higher intensified farm units which are anything but.
@Damien: don’t worry, Damien. You won’t have to wait long…….this is our year….
@Doubtchya Boy!: go back to proper farming, tillage, cattle and sheep. Farmers are afraid of hard work these days.
@tofu for tea: how many jet engines are in the air flying right now?
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: Get those pesky annoying Rossies out of the way on Saturday week first. They’re carried away after beating Leitrim already.
@Damien: feckin Rossies always get carried way, the poor lads. You have to lose a couple of All Irelands before you get your licence to get properly carried away.
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: I’ve being told by their supporters that they have the best 6 forwards in the country, for the last 10 years apparently.
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: beef is high protein
@Damien: let them believe that shur. Feel bad taking all hope away from them. Although they’ve had a decent showing the last few years tbf to them.
@Ole dan tucker: serious? I thought they were just blubbery fat .
@ciar0: so what percentage of global emissions is created by the 20% of Irish farming emissions
I’ve huge sympathy for the beef farmers but should taxpayers money be used to rescue a failing private enterprise? This move is subsidizing the low price that is charged for beef in the supermarkets and the even lower prices paid to farmers. If a fair price was paid for beef that reflected the cost of producing it then subsidies would not be needed.
@Sean: good point. You could level that charge at a lot of food in this country. It’s effectively subsidised. We need to start sourcing food from local markets and taking away some of the buying power from big supermarkets.
The problem is, people don’t really care about our fellow citizens at all. if you had an Irish steak and a Brazilian steak side by side in Lidl, people will always buy the cheapest item, regardless of where its from. Its the same with veg, people will buy imported veg from the multinational at a below cost price, while ignoring the home grown veg, and the carbon footprint the imported veg left to get to Ireland, and in the next breath, they will blame the Irish famers for climate change…..
@Do the Bort man: That’s not true.
@Do the Bort man: Farmers are not solely responsible for climate change but they contribute more than their fair share.
Likewise polluting rivers, not all their fault but a lot of river pollution is down to farming.
Exporting live animals is cruel but hey once a farmers gets a few quid to subsidise income from his full time job thats ok
@Do the Bort man: not necessarily, I’d pay a few euros more for good quality Irish beef.
@Mushy Peas: so do I, but the majority of people don’t give a dam where their food comes from, they just care about the price. Then they can’t understand why these “rich” farmers are complaining about falling farm incomes.
@Sean: i presume as a hard pressed taxpayer in dublin i can look forward to some reductions in the price of a burger in a pub or burger joint now – ive noticed they have been steadily creeping up in recent years – imagine 11.50 for a burger in some places – i presume there are some benefits to subsidized beef ?! What — there arent ? What – rip off republic continues to squeeze middle income taxpayers to help farmers but there no benefits – f@@@ that
While i have no doubt that many farmers could benefit from such support, this has all the hallmarks of FG making sure their core vote stays with them.
There must be an election on the way.
@Dave Doyle: you mean you haven’t seen any of the 50 million posters beautifying our wonderful country ?
@Seriously stunned: you mean the ones that have faded and had to replace because they took the typically tight FG route of buying cheap posters instead of the proper UVA and UVB protected ones??
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer:
Maybe they are biodegradable……
@Patrick Nolan: well that’s a lot of waste replacing biodegradable ones with more expensive uva and uvb protected ones. Symptomatic of FG policy-find the cheap option, it fails and end up paying more in the long run.
During the recession there wasn’t 50 mil made available to the self employed and were treated with scorn
In about a months time, after the election, the farmers could be asking, “what about the 50 million?”, and creed could be saying “what 50 million?”
Farmers always want something for nothing. Its too wet I need money. Its too dry I need money.
I cant sell the milk I produce I need subsidies.
Moan moan moan.
@ciar0: and we all want our food for next to nothing as well. I’m not going to bat for farmers, but average farm incomes are fairly shite and most people wouldn’t do it.
But we still need to eat, so where do we get our food from? We’re slitting our own throats by artificially keeping food prices low for the all-consuming consumer.
If we weren’t all getting screwed by financial cartels, we could afford to pay a decent price for food. And farmers would get their fair share.
@jamesdecay: 100% correct James.
From constant adjournment of court cases to fatten legal profession salaries and Garda overtime to insurance cartels to temporary usc to inflated mortgage interest rates and so on and so on. But never discussed on clickbait “news” pages or on fine gaels personal tv channel rte.
@ciar0: just like the homeless…..
I have worked for, and am surrounded by farmers all my life… if its not prices its the weather they are crying about.. they are subsidised for everything they do by the EU. No other industry is as well looked after. Every tractor I see on the road is top of the line John Deere. None of them are old.
Contrast this 50 million that the government WILL give with the lady on the Joe Duffy show yesterday whose child has SMA and WILL die from it, if the Dept of Health don’t approve the purchase of a certain drug. There are only 23 children in Ireland with this condition and the parents have been looking for the drug for years.
This country and government have things all backwards in my opinion.
@Johnny Rielly: Only one thing you can do so Johnny —–Buy a piece of land yourself and start farming. I feel confidant that with your knowledge you’ll make a huge success of it.
@John Mc Donagh: You won’t buy it, you will be outbid by other farmers who also receive handouts from the taxpayer but still want more land. Better inherit one. No commercial rates, multiple handouts, no need to worry like other private enterprises do about finding markets for your produce, just protest when prices drop even if nobody wants it.
Do not set up your own cooperative to build your own factories to process your own beef, if you do – flog it when someone waves a cheque in your face.
Where’s the fishermen’s money??
I’m no fan of the beef industry but for those of us that recall the pork dioxin ‘crises’ about 10 years ago you may remember that a compensation fund of €195m was made available to the ‘industry’ for a few days of lost production. I guess that the beef lobbyists to FG don’t have the same weight as the pork lobbyists had with Minister Brendan Smith FF back in the day……..just saying
@Frank Jones:
The pork barrel is bigger than the beef barrel!
Jesus how is this helping climate change??
@Marianne: by speeding up the process of eliminating humans, so the earth can start again without them.
Betcha that the big beef barons will try to grab it all. Needs to be carefully administered!!
The farmers that heckled Leo in cork were well rewarded. Fair play to them…. but had they been protesting against hospital over crowding, homelessness,housing crisis, or the many other scandals involving this FFG government the story would not have been as kind as it was to the farmers.
It might interest some people to know the average income of suckler farmers last year: €11,670
The support could be worth €1250 per farmer.
Food must always be in oversupply. Otherwise people could not go to work. The implications of oversupply is the primary producers get a very poor price and could not continue to invest in producing what they do. Only the best countries in the world are sufficiently organised to support its primary producers. For the rest, it’s a subsistence existence. In real terms, food in Ireland and the EU is both cheap and plentiful. Support for primary producers has worked very well for everybody.
Great to be part of EU.
So the govt can come up with 50m in a heart beat here but nothing for Tralee IT who owe a miserly 10m. Meanwhile I have to travel to work on a 10 year old cie bus every morning with over 5 million miles on it. What an absolute load of b@110x.
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