Communications in the Republic of Ireland
Encyclopedia
Telecommunication
s in the Republic of Ireland
, including postal
services run by An Post
, are regulated to a large extent by the Commission for Communications Regulation
(ComReg), the Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources has overall responsibility for national policy and regulation. All of Ireland's communications infrastructure is now digital but progress in broadband technology has been stagnant since 2006.
In telecommunications, the deregulated market has ensured that other licenced operators now account for a 32% share of the market.
Broadband is now available in Ireland via DSL, Cable, Wireless and Satellite. As of November 2007, according to ComReg the Irish Communications Regulator DSL is available to c. 88% of homes and businesses, however this figure is disputed my many pressure groups in Ireland as it only reflects the number of telephone lines connected to a broadband enabled exchange, not whether those lines are of a high enough quality to receive a DSL connection. Overall take-up of broadband (cable, dsl, wireless etc.) is 15.4% as of July '07 and there are 698,000 broadband subscriptions as of September ’07
The average monthly subscription cost is $40.41, 20% cheaper than the average of $49 for the 35 OECD countries surveyed.
In June 2009, there were over 1.3 million broadband connections of which mobile broadband comprised 28%.
In 2008, the then Minister for Communications Eammon Ryan announced new planned investment in broadband infrastructure, which may see every household in Ireland capable of receiving broadband speeds of 100mb by 2012. (100mb broadband speed became available to UPC Ireland customers in 2011) .5% of lines connected to broadband-enabled exchanges cannot avail of DSL, due to distance and other issues.
There are four mobile telecommunications providers - 3 Ireland, O2 Ireland
, Meteor and Vodafone Ireland
.
There are also four MNVOs (Mobile Network Virtual Operator) - JustMobile (Runs off the Vodafone Network), eMobile (Runs off the Meteor Network), Tesco Mobile (Runs off the O2 Network) and Postfone (runs off the Vodafone network).
.
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, including postal
Postal
Postal may refer to:* Mail, the postal service* The Postal Service, a band* "Going postal", the U.S. slang phrase meaning a killing spree* Going Postal, a 2004 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett...
services run by An Post
An Post
An Post is the State-owned provider of postal services in the Republic of Ireland. An Post provides a universal postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union...
, are regulated to a large extent by the Commission for Communications Regulation
Commission for Communications Regulation
The Commission for Communications Regulation is the general communications regulator for the Republic of Ireland, covering almost all possible types of communications....
(ComReg), the Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources has overall responsibility for national policy and regulation. All of Ireland's communications infrastructure is now digital but progress in broadband technology has been stagnant since 2006.
In telecommunications, the deregulated market has ensured that other licenced operators now account for a 32% share of the market.
Broadband is now available in Ireland via DSL, Cable, Wireless and Satellite. As of November 2007, according to ComReg the Irish Communications Regulator DSL is available to c. 88% of homes and businesses, however this figure is disputed my many pressure groups in Ireland as it only reflects the number of telephone lines connected to a broadband enabled exchange, not whether those lines are of a high enough quality to receive a DSL connection. Overall take-up of broadband (cable, dsl, wireless etc.) is 15.4% as of July '07 and there are 698,000 broadband subscriptions as of September ’07
The average monthly subscription cost is $40.41, 20% cheaper than the average of $49 for the 35 OECD countries surveyed.
In June 2009, there were over 1.3 million broadband connections of which mobile broadband comprised 28%.
In 2008, the then Minister for Communications Eammon Ryan announced new planned investment in broadband infrastructure, which may see every household in Ireland capable of receiving broadband speeds of 100mb by 2012. (100mb broadband speed became available to UPC Ireland customers in 2011) .5% of lines connected to broadband-enabled exchanges cannot avail of DSL, due to distance and other issues.
There are four mobile telecommunications providers - 3 Ireland, O2 Ireland
O2 Ireland
Telefónica Ireland is a broadband and telecommunications provider in Ireland. The company is marketed and trades as O2...
, Meteor and Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone Ireland Limited, part of the Vodafone Group, is the largest mobile phone company in Ireland in terms of active subscribers, and was previously called Eircell. The mobile phone system in use is a digital GSM 900 system, and also a third-generation UMTS system...
.
There are also four MNVOs (Mobile Network Virtual Operator) - JustMobile (Runs off the Vodafone Network), eMobile (Runs off the Meteor Network), Tesco Mobile (Runs off the O2 Network) and Postfone (runs off the Vodafone network).
See also
Premium SMS and mobile payments are allowing businesses to profit from revenue taken directly from customers phone bills. One of the first companies to offer Irish mobile payments nationwide and to advise on the regulations and requirements involved are txtNation, registered with regulator Comreg. other companies that offer a similar service include Puca and ZamanoZamano
Zamano is a publicly listed internet and mobile technology company based in Dublin. Established in 2000, Zamano concentrates on mobile commerce, marketing and customer relationship management.- Business structure :...
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- Cable Television in IrelandCable television in IrelandIn the early years of television Irish viewers had access to the BBC via signals coming from Northern Ireland and Wales. By 1959 Northern Irish viewers had access to one public service broadcaster and one commercial broadcaster...
- Broadband Internet access in Ireland
- List of Ireland-related topics