Eircom must give itemised phone bills free of charge

The Director of Telecommunications Regulation has ordered Eircom to provide

free itemised bills to every customer that requests it.

The bills will have to show rental charges separately, with the details of calls including the destination telephone number, the date, time and duration.

The Director pointed out that other operators in the market already provide free itemised bills to customers and said it is now time for Eircom to follow suit.

Up until now, the company has been charging up to £4 per bill for the service.

The Director will continue monitoring the situation in the months ahead.

Phone operators have also been instructed that free of charge calls should not be identified on bills, so as to protect people who are using helplines.