Eircom has today announced that the company will increase prices for existing residential and commercial customers. Price changes will be reflected on bills from April 15.
Eircom is the third major communications provider to announce price increases since the start of the year following price increase announcements from Sky and UPC.
Eircom has said that it will communicate with every customer and advise of the exact increases that customers can expect. Customers will receive this communication at least 30 days prior to the increases taking effect.
Eircom has said that the monthly subscription fee for residential customers including those who have double, triple or quad-play bundles (voice, broadband, mobile and TV) will increase by between €2 and €8 per month including VAT - depending on customer bundles.
An sample customer with home phone Talk Anytime and efibre unlimited broadband will see their service increase in price by between €5 and €8 per month depending on when they signed up. Here’s how this breaks down:
Customers that signed up after 1 August 2014 will see an increase of €2 on the broadband part of their bill and €3 on the phone bundle to a total of €5 per month. Customers that signed up before 1 August 2014 will see the broadband part of their bill go up by €5 and the phone portion go up by €3 to a total of €8 per month.
Price increase breakdown
In general, most call bundles will go up by €5 per month, however some off-peak packages will increase by €3.
Most broadband packages will go up by €5 per month.
Charges for calls made outside of a bundle will also increase, although we have been unable to determine by how much at the time of writing.
Line rental charges will not go up.
Eircom has said that customers can withdraw from their contract without penalty for 30 days after the issue date of the price change notices.
Eircom Managing Director Jon Florsheim said that it was the first time in four years that the company had announced price changes that impact the majority of customers. He also pointed out that Eircom has invested €1 billion in infrastructure over the last three years as the company’s fibre broadband rollout continues.
Sky and UPC price increases
Both Sky and UPC will implement price increases from 1 February with most television bundles going up.
Sky Original Pack will go up by €1 per month and Sky Variety will go up by €2 per month.
UPC’s Value TV will go up by €1 per month, UPC’s Horizon Select Extra will go up by €4 and UPC Horizon Max will go up by €1.
UPC will also increase the cost of some movie and sports subscriptions by up to €3 per month. UPC broadband customers seem to be unaffected.
Sky says that there will no price increases for Sports, Movies, HD, Multiscreen, or Broadband & Talk.
Sky and UPC also increased prices in the Spring of 2014.
