Ulster Bank customers will soon be able to call up their account balance and make daily transactions on a mobile phone. The new service, which the bank claims is the first of its kind to be offered by a European bank, will be available from April.

The service can be accessed by customers through a WAP-enabled phone, which is the new generation model that allows access to the Internet. WAP phones are currently available to buy only from Nokia, although Ericsson is due to introduce its model to the market shortly.

Ulster Bank has been running a pilot service for some of its staff over the past couple of months and aims to roll out a full service to selected customers next month. The service will be officially introduced to all customers in April. Customers will gain access to the service by keying in a PIN and registration number assigned by the bank.

Ulster Bank's head of business e-commerce, Mr Jonathan Byrne, said the service will be free of charge and is an extension of its Internet banking facilities. "Initially, customers will be able to read an account balance, order a cheque book and make account inquiries on their mobile phone. We also have a team who are working to facilitate a transactional service, where customers will be able to pay a bill and move money between various accounts," Mr Byrne said. The bank introduced its Internet banking facility last October and is reporting good demand from customers. This service is also free of charge to personal customers and the bank claims to be signing up to 70 new customers daily for it.

While working on its Internet banking concept, the bank decided to explore the development of new technology to expand its application to a WAP mobile phone.

While Ulster Bank has been relatively slow to introduce Internet banking, the new mobile phone service puts it ahead of its competitors.