I'd say they are almost certainly cheaper than Eircom, so @I wouldnt worry too much. However I think theres a good deal at the moment with UTV- all local, national and UK calls up to an hour are free- you just pay the normal line rental and I checked line rates to France and US ( where we usually ring) and both are cheaper than Eircom, though the US calls are more expensive than Smart. Your mother will have the usual cooling off period- I think UTV is a good bet. BTW, I obviously have no connection with UTV!