Expats will be provided with a variety of services to choose from to be able to keep in touch with their friends and family worldwide.
Internet
Ireland does not have many internet service providers which offer internet services. In most of the cities and towns broadband is highly used and the main service is provided from a company called Eircom. They offer fast internet services and a fibre broadband in cities and towns of Ireland. Expats who have moved to rural areas will find that internet connection is limited.
There are four options for the Internet
- ADSL: This runs through a landline phone
- Mobile Broadband: Provides a USB
- Fibre Broadband: This is mainly used in cities and towns
- Satellite: Provides internet access to remote and rural areas.
To open up an internet account, you will be required to call the ISP and provide all their details. A deposit may need to be given with documents that they may require.
Wifi is also becoming popular, with residents being able to use this in public areas.
Mobile Phones
Mobile phones are popular in Ireland and have a variety of network providers – Vodafone, 02, Eircom, Three and Meteor. They are of good quality and the cities are perfectly covered with signal
Packages for mobile phones will be available to purchase on a pay as you go or contract package. Expats wanting to open a post paid mobile phone contract will be required to show certain documents and most expats choose pay as you go when in Ireland for a short period of time.
Those who already have a phone will just need to buy a new SIM card but mobile phones may need to be unlocked even if you are using the same provider in Ireland as your home country.
Landline Phones
Landlines are still highly used and are quite affordable in the country. It is advised to compare the companies that offer good packages and international rates for those who want to call outside of the country
Some Internet services are run through a landline phone so it may be necessary for expats to open a landline when opening a broadband bundle; this is proved to be a less expensive option.
Postal Services
Postal services in Ireland are operated by a government run service ‘An Post’. It is reliable and efficient which delivers Mon-Friday.
There are many post boxes around the cities and towns as well as a post office which provide facilities such as banking, bill payments and social security benefits.