Broadband and TV customers face monthly hikes of up to €10

BROADBAND and TV customers across the country are facing ‘significant’ bill increases in just over a month’s time.

Vodafone Ireland has confirmed plans to increase some of its prices by up to €10 this December. And some Sky customers will also be hit with a price hike – with increases of up to €4 per month.

Mobile and broadband provider Vodafone confirmed that it will increase the cost of some of its older voice and broadband packages from December, with affected plans set to rise by an average of €4 per month.

However, the company’s Simply Talk plan will see a monthly increase of €10, rising from €30 a month to €40. Its Simply Broadband service will also be affected, rising by €7 a month.

A spokesman for Vodafone said: ‘This price increase will impact a small number of customers, bringing them in line with our current pricing which continues to offer customers one of the most competitively priced broadband and landline packages on the market.’

Sky Ireland, meanwhile, began contacting customers yesterday about its planned hikes – with average bills set to increase by between €2 and €4 per month from December 1.

Sharon McHugh, a spokeswoman for Sky, said the majority of its customer base would not see any increases, but ‘a small proportion’ would see average bills rise by €3 per month. Sky broadband and TV customers who are either on legacy products or who had previously been benefiting from a lower price will be affected by the increases.

Dermott Jewell of the Consumers Association of Ireland said: ‘What seems to be missing from several of the commentary is that it suggests these are increases for a small number of people. The reality is, they’re significant increases for a small number of people.

‘They’re an average of 12-and-a-half plus per cent. When you come to double-digit increases, that seriously affects the affordability and the mindset of the consumer.’