Lidl enters Irish mobile phone market with €8.99 a month offer

Robert Ryan, CEO of Lidl Ireland with cookbook author and food content creator Gina Daly at the launch of Lidl Connect. Picture: Damien Eagers / Julien Behal Photography

Supermarket giant Lidl is entering the Irish mobile phone market, with a new monthly plan being rolled out to the first 100,000 customers at €8.99 a month.

Lidl Connect's mobile plan includes unlimited 5G data, calls, and texts, 50GB EU/UK roaming, and 100 international minutes. The offer is available from Monday October 5 and will be available exclusively through the retailer's Lidl Plus app. 

Customers can choose between a physical SIM in any Lidl store for €0.99 or an eSIM and complete registration via the Lidl Plus app.

“Value has always been at the heart of what we offer our customers, and with Lidl Connect we are taking that same approach into the mobile market," said Lidl Ireland chief executive Robert Ryan. 

“We know customers increasingly want services that are straightforward, flexible, and offer genuine value. Lidl Connect has been designed with that in mind – whether customers want to pick up a SIM in one of our stores or get connected digitally through an eSIM from home."

Lidl Connect is being delivered with 1GLOBAL, Lidl’s global telecommunications partner, with the service supported by the Eir network in Ireland.

The plan offers a package of unlimited 5G data; unlimited calls and texts to any Irish and UK network; 50GB EU and UK roaming data and 100 international minutes per month to over 38 countries. Customers moving to Lidl Connect can keep their existing mobile number or choose a brand new number. There is no long-term contract.

Lidl Connect SIM cards will be available in 192 Lidl stores across Ireland from Monday while customers with compatible devices will be able to select an eSIM through Lidl Plus on the same day.

The launch offer is available to the first 100k customers or December 31, whichever comes first. 

Lidl is following the lead of rival Tesco by entering Ireland's mobile phone market.

Figures from ComReg earlier this year showed Tesco mobile with a 4.6% of Ireland's mobile market.