Mobile phone group Vodafone has confirmed that it is seeking 100 voluntary redundancies at its Dublin headquarters.
A report in the Irish Independent this morning said the company told employees last week that it was responding to an increasingly competitive Irish mobile phone market. The company employs around 1,800 people in the Republic.
The news came as Vodafone said it added 59,000 Irish customers in the three months to the end of December, bringing its total subscriber base to 2,178,000.
But the amount of money it takes from each customer continued to fall. Average monthly revenue per user (ARPU) was €45.60, down from €46.90 at the end of September and €50.20 in the same period last year. This is still well above the equivalent figures in its other main European markets, however.
Overall, Vodafone mobile revenue worldwide grew by 6.1% in its third quarter, but growth was just 0.9% in Europe and 14.4% elsewhere. Its total customer base topped 200 million.
The company has been affected by fierce competition in European markets, while a cut in rates imposed by the German regulator also hit revenues. Voice revenue in Europe fell in the quarter, outweighed by increases in data and messaging revenue.
Vodafone reiterated its guidance for the full year, which includes mobile revenue growth of 5% to 6.5% and a one-point fall in margins.
