Despite the continuing shift away from landline usage in Ireland, there are still some 1.49 million home phone subscriptions across the country. And there are some very attractive home phone packages on offer at the moment, which include features such as unlimited calls to mobiles and free calls to the US and UK.
Although the days of teenagers twirling the phone’s cord into tangles and hoping their mammy isn’t listening on the other line are gone, there are still 1.49 million landline subscriptions in Ireland. And some of Ireland’s biggest telecoms companies are on a mission to keep those home phone users happy and even add new subscribers.
While shouts of increased broadband speeds and shiny new TV channels are the way these companies try to attract customers (and understandably so), sometimes details of home phone plans get lost among the noise. But some of them are very attractive.
Let’s take a look at best landline plans on offer from Ireland’s biggest telecoms firms at the moment.
Virgin Media
Virgin Media is best-known for its 360 Mbps broadband speeds, which are the fastest that are widely available in Ireland, but the company is offering a very attractive home phone plan too. Particularly to customers who have family or friends living in the UK, US or Australia.
For starters, the company’s ‘Mobile World’ plan includes unlimited calls to Irish landlines and mobiles. The peace of mind of not having to count your monthly minutes will be worth a lot if you’re a regular landline user.
But the most appealing aspect of Virgin Media’s ‘Mobile World’ plan to many will be the unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles in 22 international destinations, including the most popular destinations for Irish people such as the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
With its ‘Mobile World’ plan, Virgin Media is offering a landline with the capabilities of a mobile, when it comes to making calls.
The plan comes with Virgin Media's 360 Mbps broadband and costs €30 for the first 4 months and €60 a month after that.
For €10 less every month, you can get 240 Mbps broadband and ‘Anytime World’, which only offers calls to Irish landlines and 400 minutes to international landlines. So, no mobiles.
If you like to talk, and have family and friends overseas, Virgin Media's ‘Mobile World’ landline plan may well be worth the extra tenner a month.
Sign up to Virgin Media's 360 Mb & Mobile World plan now
Eir
The biggest telecoms company in the country is also offering a competitive phone plan which focuses on giving you peace of mind when on the phone.
Eir’s headline phone plan includes calls to Irish landlines, eir Mobile phones and calls to overseas mobiles and landlines in the likes of the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
With 100 Mbps broadband, this plan will cost you €31 a month for 3 months and €68 a month after that. And there's €50 cashback on offer at the moment too!
If international calls aren’t of much use to you, you could sign up for eir’s ‘Superfast Broadband and Anytime Mobile Calls’ plan and get calls to all Irish mobiles and landlines. And it’s €6 cheaper every month too. Great for day-to-day worry-free calling.
Sign up to eir's Superfast Broadband & International Calls plan now
Sky
Sky’s ‘Talk Anytime’ plan allows you to call landlines in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as in 20 international destinations, such as the USA and UK.
This plan comes with Sky’s 100 Mbps broadband and will cost you €47.50 a month for the first year, rising to €57.50 a month after that.
Sign up to Sky's Fibre Unlimited & Talk Anytime plan now
Pure Telecom
You can get calls to Irish landlines and 50 minutes of calls to Irish mobiles every month under Pure Telecom’s ‘Unlimited Fibre Bundle’ plan. That also includes 100 Mbps broadband and costs €39 a month for 3 months, increasing to €47 a month after that.
For an extra €5 a month, you can add calls to landlines in Australia, Canada, the UK or the US.
Sign up to Pure Telecom's Unlimited Fibre Bundle now
Vodafone
Vodafone offers unlimited calls to Irish landlines as part of its ‘Home Essentials package’. This also comes with 100 Mbps broadband and costs €40 a month for the first 6 months and €45 a month thereafter.
You can add calls to international landlines and mobiles for an extra €15 a month too, taking the standard monthly price up to €60.
Sign up to Vodafone Home Essentials now
Which Plan is Right for You?
For those of you who are lucky enough to have broadband speeds of 100 Mbps and above available in your area, it might be the differences between home phone plans that will help you choose the right package for you.
The most comprehensive package is Virgin Media’s ‘Mobile World’ plan, which gives you unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles in Ireland and the countries in which you’re most likely to have friends or family. Along with 360 Mbps broadband, it comes in at €60 a month, once sign-up discounts have expired.
Eir’s premium package, at €68 per month after discounts, is certainly comprehensive. But because it only covers calls to eir mobiles in Ireland, and it costs a bit more, it’s the runner-up here - but still a great option, especially for those outside the Virgin Media coverage area.
The good news here is that, despite our move away from landlines as a nation, there have never been more attractive packages on offer to those of us who'd like to hear a dial tone before pressing real-life buttons when making a call.