Eircom began charging customers for its call answering service last month. The 99p a month plus VAT charge should appear on customers' July bill. A spokeswoman said Eircom communicated the change to customers starting in April. The new recurring fee is a reaction to liberalisation of the telecommunications market. "We can no longer offer things for free or subsidise services and we must comply with regulatory and competition law," she said.

British Telecom's call answering charge is nearly twice that of Eircom's, the spokeswoman said.