EasyMobile - the cheap and cheerful discount phone service backed by no frills airline entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou - has launched its service its Germany.

Today's cork-popping ceremony comes a little over a week since easyMobile launched its service The Netherlands. EasyMobile launched its first service in the UK in March this year and by August had signed up 15,000 punters.

And just as in the UK, the easyMobile service is backed Danish Telco TDC and piggybacks on the mobile network of T-Mobile.

EasyMobile.de MD Christian Winther said the new service is "simple and inexpensive" with punters paying as low as 16 cents a minute flat for national calls 12 cents for a text message.

"Rather than spending our money on high-street shops or giving away subsidised mobile handsets tied to complex tariff plans and incomprehensible long term contracts, we intend to spend our time and money on providing our customers with the most attractive and transparent service in the market," he said.

EasyMobile.de is based in Hamburg and employs some 25 staff. ®