Lidl is entering the Irish mobile-phone network market, with the launch of a rolling SIM-only monthly plan.
‘Lidl Connect’ will be available from 5 October, with the German low-cost grocery retailer saying it’s offering the service to the first 100,000 customers for €8.99 a month for life, after which the price will increase to €12.99.
The service will only be available to customers who are signed-up to the Lidl Plus app.
Customers can buy a physical SIM card in-store for €0.99 or select an eSIM and complete registration via the Lidl Plus app.
The plan offers unlimited 5G data; unlimited calls and texts for Ireland and the UK – as well as 50GB of EU/UK roaming data and 100 international minutes.
The service will run on the eir network, so coverage in areas will be dependent on the strength of the eir signal.
Ireland is the first market in which the retailer is launching such a monthly mobile plan, which Lidl said can be cancelled “at any time”.
The monthly cost undercuts a similar offering from one of its rivals; Tesco Mobile’s monthly rolling plan – that includes unlimited 5G data – costs €20.
Daragh Cassidy from comparison site bonkers.ie said the new Lidl offering is “really competitive.
“GoMo, which is synonymous with the SIM-only market in Ireland, charges €14.99 a month, so this offer significantly undercuts that.
“It’s also much cheaper than the €25 to €35 a month that the main mobile providers charge for their own SIM-only deals.”
He added that “if you’re on a bill pay plan and are out of contract and have paid off your handset (which everyone will have done after 24 months) you should move to a SIM-only deal until you require a new phone, as now there is no need to be paying more than €10 to €15 a month for your calls and data”.
However, Mr Cassidy notes that “like most SIM-only providers, Lidl doesn’t have its own mobile network or infrastructure. Instead, it will piggyback off Eir’s network, so the strength of coverage with Lidl in your area will broadly match what’s available from Eir.”
