Vodafone Ireland added 34,000 mobile customers in the three months to the end of December, bringing its total customer base to 2,047,000.
Figures released by its parent company also show that its average monthly revenue per user (ARPU) in Ireland in the quarter was €50.20, down from €53.10 in the previous three months. But this was still around double the figures for countries such as Germany and Italy, while UK ARPU was £23.80.
Vodafone said it added three million third generation customers in the quarter, bringing the total to just under eight million. Vodafone now has 179.3 million customers worldwide, up from 171 million at the end of September.
The company said it had seen increased competition in some of its bigger markets in the period.
The improvement of 7.1 million customers on a year earlier was better than market expectations.
Vodafone, which is under pressure from shareholders over its strategy in Japan and the US, stuck by profits guidance for the financial year, although it warned margins were towards the lower end of its range.
Vodafone reported an improvement in customer performance in Japan with the highest level of customer additions since the quarter to March 2004. It said the Japanese market remained challenging but it now had a more competitive handset range, an improved 3G network and a better range of tariffs and services.
* Vodafone shares tumbled 2.7% in London this evening after it disappointed some investors by saying it would keep its US business.
