criticised mobile phone companies for the lack of information available about filtering. The Sunday Tribune tested access to four separate sites – a pornography site, an Irish escort site, a pro-anorexia site and a prosuicide site – on the mobile phone networks Vodafone, O2, 3 and Meteor. All four networks allowed access. In January 2009 it was revealed that Ireland was nearly the most profitable market in the world for multinational mobile operators like Vodafone. In April 2009, the company admitted to overcharging 100,000 of its Irish customers a total of €900,000 by incorrectly billing them. In August 2010, it was revealed that the Irish exchequer was facing a demand from the company for a substantial corporation tax refund after it agreed that tax paid in Ireland should have been paid in Britain. The Vodafone subsidiary in question had profits of over €200 million but just 20 employees. In March 2011, Vodafone pleaded guilty to four breaches of the Data Protection Act at the Dublin District Court. Vodafone admitted in June 2012 it had not returned more than half of the €1.9m it overcharged customers and there was little likelihood the remainder would be returned. ComReg said it was monitoring Vodafone's provision of refunds to affected consumers. The Department of Justice advised Vodafone publishing details of data requested by the Gardaí and other Irish authorities might compromise national security and hinder the investigation of serious criminal activity but it subsequently published the data. Perlico On 13 November 2007, Vodafone Ireland announced the acquisition of Perlico, a small fixed line phone and broadband services reseller for €80m. This was in line with the strategy of other Vodafone companies across Europe, in buying small fixed-line providers for potential offerings of future converged services. As a result of the acquisition, Perlico was dissolved after the merger, having become a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Ireland. Acquisition of BT customers On 22 July 2009, BT Ireland agreed to transfer its consumer voice, broadband data and small business operations in Ireland to Vodafone, leap-frogging the company into a leading role as a fixed-line broadband operator in the country. Under the terms of the deal Vodafone leased capacity on BT's fixed line network for the services. See also List of companies of Ireland References External links Vodafone Telecommunications companies of the Republic of Ireland Telecommunications companies established in 2001 Internet service providers of the Republic of