All service providers are required to publish an Accessibility Statement on their websites. The accessibility statement should set out how your service provider ensures that information regarding their products and services, including all information provided to the majority of end-users, is accessible for disabled end-users. The Accessibility Statement should contain:
• Information about the accessibility products and services available to end users.
• Information about the range of accessible contact methods and details to assist disabled end-users.
• Your Service Providers approach and policy in respect of providing services and information to disabled end-users.
Information in respect of your service provider’s complaints handling procedures, including its Code of Practice, must be accessible in a number of formats, to include but not limited to Braille, Audio, Regular print, Large print, Easy to read, Understandable and Online versions of each format (on the Disability Section of the Undertaking’s website) and all of these formats must be printable.
• Service Providers must provide an accessible means to contact customer services in order to lodge a complaint and/or make an enquiry.
• Service Providers must offer the ability to nominate a third party to deal with complaints and/or enquiries on behalf of the customer.
• All staff handling your complaint must have been trained to appropriately deal with your requirements.
Service providers providing pre-paid mobile services are required to provide an SMS top-up facility for customers with a disability where
If you have difficulty accessing online directory enquiry services because of a vision impairment, contact your Service Provider who will offer the use of a directory enquiry service free of charge. To avail of the service you will need to get your doctor to provide a certification that confirms your medical condition.
If you require your bill and details of the transactions in a medium properly accessible to you (including Braille) please contact your Service Provider.
If you would like to buy a phone or some other equipment from your Service Provider but if you are unsure if you can use it if you have a hearing aid or have a cochlear implant, your Service Provider must offer you one of the following choices,
• a facility to test the terminal equipment at your Service Provider’s retail shops, in advance of purchasing or
• a returns policy which allows for terminal equipment which has not been tested in advance of purchase to be returned because it does not meet specific hearing needs.
To avail of the service you will need to get your doctor to provide a certification that confirms your medical condition.
Every service provider selling terminal equipment must have staff in the retail shop who are trained in the use of terminal equipment and are adequately equipped to address any queries raised by disabled end-users in advance of purchase.
Every service provider is required to ensure that comprehensive and up to date information regarding its products and services that are of relevance to people with disability are accessible. The means that you should be able to click from the home page of your Service Providers website to access the Disability Section of that website.
All contractual information must be accessible and up to date. This includes notifications in respect to any changes to your contract that are set out in the Universal Service Regulations.
Every service provider is required to maintain a facility for you to register your requirements if you choose to do so. The register subject to your consent, will contain the following:
• Name, address, contact details (to include phone or email and/or third party nominated contact).
• Preferred means of communication.
• Preferences in respect to bundles (for example broadband or text only).
• Details of any special terminal equipment required.
• Details of any alternative billing medium requirement.
Full details of the Text Relay Service the Irish Text Relay Service (ITRS) are available at www.itrs.ie
ITRS translates text into voice and voice into text to facilitate a person who maybe deaf or hard of hearing in making and receiving calls in the Republic of Ireland. Calls are relayed through an ITRS agent who performs this translation. ITRS customers can make and receive text relay calls as per their chosen plan using a range of PC or mobile media devices. ITRS is available directly from www.itrs.ie
To use the ITRS you must first register the phone number you will be using to make and receive calls. Please click here to register and you can also access details on how to make and receive calls and other important features.
ComReg is reviewing the specific measures put in place by ComReg in 2014 and 2015 to meet the needs of consumers with disabilities to choose and use Electronic Communications Services (ECS) with confidence.
As part of this review, we published a Call for Inputs on 4 September 2023.
A summary document is also available which summarises the topics covered in the Call for Inputs and includes the questions we would like respondents to answer. An Irish Sign Language video with subtitles and voiceover of the summary document is available: