Plan lets Meteor customers roam range

VODAFONE and O2 will be forced to open their networks to Meteor and other operators under plans announced by telecoms regulator ComReg yesterday.

The proposals could see Meteor customers roaming on the other networks as early as this summer.In its review of the Irish mobile market, ComReg said charges were too high and that Meteor's arrival into the market had done little to change this so far. While Vodafone and O2 account for 95% of Irish mobile users, Meteor has struggled to build market share. Unlike the other operators, Meteor's network does not extend to some parts of the country.

Allowing customers to roam on other networks in areas where no Meteor signal is available would make the country's newest operator more attractive to mobile users. This would help generate greater competition in the market, according to ComReg.