Lidl is set to enter Ireland’s mobile phone market with a new low-cost SIM-only service.

The supermarket chain will launch Lidl Connect next Monday, October 5th, with the first 100,000 customers offered a plan for €8.99 per month for life, according to the Irish Independent.

The deal includes unlimited 5G data, calls and texts, along with 50GB of EU and UK roaming and 100 international minutes.

Once the first 100,000 places are taken, the plan will cost €12.99 per month.

Customers will be able to sign up through the Lidl Plus app and can either collect a physical SIM card in-store for 99c or use an eSIM.

Those switching to Lidl Connect will also be able to keep their existing mobile number and will not be tied into a long-term contract.

The service is being delivered with telecoms partner 1Global and will operate using the Eir network in Ireland.

Lidl Connect already operates in a number of other European countries, including Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland chief executive Robert Ryan said the service was designed to offer customers greater flexibility and value.

Price comparison expert Daragh Cassidy of Bonkers.ie described the €8.99 offer as ‘really competitive’, saying it significantly undercuts a number of existing SIM-only deals on the Irish market.