VODAFONE will increase its prices for pre-pay customers next month, paving the way for hikes across the mobile phone sector.
From January 15, the cost of making a phone call to a landline or mobile for customers on the Advantage Plus tariff -- the most popular plan -- will go up from 29c a minute to 35c a minute.
Text messages will go up from 13c to 15c.
A spokesman for O2 said he was not aware of any scheme to bump up its tariffs, while a Meteor spokesman could not be reached.