Tariff deals boost demand for mobile phone services

RECORD numbers of subscribers joined mobile telephone networks operated by Cellnet and Vodafone last month, writes Mary Fagan. Cellnet's customer base now exceeds one million.

Both companies have benefited from tariff packages aimed at less frequent users of the service, which has attracted people who would not previously have considered having a mobile telephone.

Cellnet took on 46,700 new subscribers, more than double the numbers achieved in March 1993. It said it had half the cellular telephone market and accounted for almost 60 per cent of non-business customers. Bob Warner, managing director of Cellnet, said competition had been fierce but the year to 31 March was the company's best yet.

Vodafone added 58,500 new subscribers, taking its subscriber base to 1.74 million. The company said many of the new subscribers were signing up for the recently launched digital service, which allows subscribers to call from other countries in Europe.

Cellnet also has a licence to offer a similar Europe-wide digital service but has yet to reveal any plans for doing so.

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