AIB and Eircell have announced an e-commerce development called mobile banking. The new service, to be piloted this month, will allow AIB customers to use Eircell's GSM technology to check their accounts on the screens of their mobile phones.

The companies said further enhancements to the service will allow customers to transfer funds between accounts and pay bills. And the bank will be able to update customers via their mobile screens on developments, such as rate changes and share price movements.

The service is to be provided free to AIB customers. There will, however, be a charge for the short messaging service (SMS) used to request information.