Mobile operator Vodafone Ireland added 29,000 new customers in the three months to the end of June, bringing its customer base to just below two million.
Average revenue per user (ARPU) increased to €609 from €591 in June last year. A statement for the company said this rise of 3% in revenue compared with a 6% increase in monthly minutes of usage. The Irish ARPU figure compares with €295 in Vodafone's German operations, €421 in Spain and £300 sterling in the UK.
Strategy director Gerry Fahy said the company expected continued growth, despite more intense competition, as take-up of its third generation services increased. He said 3G sales had exceeded expectations, and a third of all new sales in June were of 3G handsets.
Vodafone's parent company added a better than expected four million customers in the quarter, bringing its total to 165 million, but its ARPU figure dropped to €295 from €299 in the first quarter, as price cuts ordered by regulators and lower spending by new customers hit the figure.
The company added 165,000 new customers in the UK, but lost 72,000 in Japan.
