Guides to mobile phones in Ireland
These guides answer the questions people in Ireland ask most about their mobile phone, across every network rather than one brand. Each one starts from a real question, puts the networks side by side from their own pages, and links to the official source for every fact.
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Thinking of switching network or plan?
Start with what you need, then compare what it costs over a year, not the first month. Moving your number is free and the new provider does it for you, but check whether your current contract has months left first, because leaving early usually costs the monthly price for each month remaining.
- Moving your number: when a number transfer fails: the account number and type each provider needs, how long it takes, and compensation
- Leaving a contract: what leaving a contract early costs, which plans rise every April, the planned exit law and cooling-off
- Plan finder: answer six questions and see every plan that fits, cheapest first year first
- Compare plans: the main SIM-only plans side by side, with first-year cost
- Switching: keeping your number, notice, exit fees and unused credit when you move to Lidl Connect
Travelling abroad with an Irish SIM?
In the EU, the UK and Ukraine most Irish networks charge home prices up to a data limit, but a few need a step first and the fixes when a phone will not connect differ by network. Outside the EU, data is expensive and some networks do not work at all.
- Roaming abroad: what to set up before you travel, EU data limits, and what to do when your SIM will not connect abroad
New to Ireland and need a SIM?
Decide first whether you want a physical SIM or an eSIM, then choose a network by its coverage where you will live and work. Most brands rent space on one of three networks, eir, Vodafone or Three, so two cheap brands on the same network share the same masts.
- eSIM in Ireland: which networks offer eSIM and how to get one
- Mobile networks: which of the three networks each brand runs on, coverage maps and APN settings
Something not working?
Contact your network first and keep the reference number: each must acknowledge a complaint within two working days and answer within ten, and ComReg can step in after that. Older 3G-only phones are losing mobile data as eir switches 3G off from October 2026.
- Wi-Fi calling and VoLTE: which networks offer Wi-Fi calling, VoLTE and 5G, and whether Wi-Fi calling works abroad
- Scam calls and texts: what “Likely Scam” texts mean, how networks block scam calls, and where to report
- Customer service numbers: customer care numbers, chat hours and how to complain, for every network
- 3G switch-off: what the 3G switch-off means for older phones
- Mobile networks: which of the three networks each brand runs on, coverage maps and APN settings
Frequently asked questions
How often are these guides checked?
Every fact shows the date we opened its source, and we re-check prices and rules at least every 30 days. If you spot something out of date, the correction link on each page reaches us.
Are these guides official?
No. IrishSim is an independent guide, not linked to Lidl or any network. Every fact links to the network’s own page or to ComReg, with the date we checked it.
Which Irish network should I choose?
It depends on coverage where you live and what you use. The plan finder lists every plan that fits your answers, cheapest first year first, and the networks guide shows which of the three networks each brand uses.
Where these facts come from
Every fact on this page comes from one of these sources. We opened each one on the date shown.
- Switch Mobile Provider, ComReg, 2025-05-29 (checked 2026-10-10)Official
- Consumer Care, ComReg, 2026-03-02 (checked 2026-10-10)Official
- Roaming, ComReg (checked 2026-10-12)Official
- 3G switch off, eir (checked 2026-10-12)Official