Ireland - Broadband Market Insights, Statistics and Forecasts

Synopsis

Ireland’s broadband market is underdeveloped by European standards, although government efforts to improve local loop unbundling and wholesale access has meant that growth, albeit from a relatively low base, has been strong during the last two years. Relatively low penetration has partly been due to high wholesale costs, lack of competition, high retail prices, and limited coverage in many non-urban areas. The proposed structural separation of eircom could have been a catalyst for rapid development in this market, but the global financial crisis affecting eircom’s parent company, and its sale in late 2009, suspended further progress. The anticipated sale of the incumbent later in 2012 may also jeopardize network investment.

Broadband growth has slowed in recent years, and is now largely in the cable and mobile sectors. This report profiles Ireland’s fixed and wireless broadband markets, together with developments in related technologies such as FttH, powerline broadband, wireless and mobile broadband, WiFi and Internet via satellite. It also provides forecasts for broadband uptake to 2020.

Key developments:

Next Generational Broadband Taskforce set up for broadband roadmap; government pursues ‘NewEra’ National Recovery Programme; Ka-band spotbeam technology available to Digiweb Tooway, eircom and SBI satellite; dramatic fall in number of WiFi hotspots and access points; regulator and operator data to Q3 2011; market developments to early 2012.

Companies covered in this report include:

UPC Ireland, Casey CableVision, eircom, Digiweb.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Overview
  • 2.1 Broadband statistics
    • 2.1.1 Delivering access
  • 2.2 National Development Plan to 2013
    • 2.2.1 Next Generation Broadband (NGB) – 2010
  • 2.3 Promoting broadband
  • 2.4 Government networks
  • 2.5 Other providers
  • 2.6 Regional infrastructure
  • 2.7 Wholesale bitstream
• 3. Cable modems
• 4. Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
  • 4.1 Alternative operators
  • 4.2 ADSL2+
• 5. Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH) networks
• 6. Broadband Powerline (BPL)
• 7. Mobile broadband
• 8. Wireless broadband
  • 8.1 1.7GHz band
  • 8.2 10.5GHz band
  • 8.3 3.5GHz band
  • 8.4 Other spectrum
  • 8.5 Digiweb
  • 8.6 National Fixed Wireless Point to Multipoint Licences (FWPMA)
    • 8.6.1 26GHz band
  • 8.7 Other developments
  • 8.8 Other bands
  • 8.9 WiFi
  • 8.10 Worldwide Interoperability of Microwave Access (WiMAX)
  • 8.11 WiFibre
  • 8.12 Internet via satellite
    • 8.12.1 SchoolSat
• 9. Forecasts – broadband subscribers – 2009 - 2012; 2020
  • 9.1 Scenario 1 – higher broadband subscriber growth
  • 9.2 Scenario 2 – lower broadband subscriber growth
  • 9.3 Notes on scenario forecasts
• 10. Related reports

• Table 1 – Broadband penetration by technology – 2006 - 2011
• Table 2 – Dial-up internet subscribers – 2005 - 2012
• Table 3 – Total internet users – 2005 - 2012
• Table 4 – Total broadband subscribers by access type – 2002 - 2012
• Table 6 – Share of broadband subscribers by platform – 2007 - 2011
• Table 7 – Market share of fixed broadband subscriptions by operator – 2010 - 2011
• Table 8 – Fixed-line broadband revenue – 2005 - 2012
• Table 9 – Broadband access speeds: market share, business and residential – Q3 2011
• Table 10 – UPC Ireland subscribers – 2006 - 2011
• Table 11 – UPC Ireland revenue – 2006 - 2009
• Table 13 – Eircom’s ADSL lines – 2005 - 2011
• Table 14 – Mobile broadband subscribers – 2007 - 2012
• Table 15 – Mobile broadband share of all broadband subscribers – 2007 - 2012
• Table 16 – Mobile broadband market share by operator – 2010 - 2011
• Table 17 – Wireless broadband subscribers – 2005 - 2011
• Table 18 – Wireless hotspots and access points - 2007 - 2011
• Table 19 – Forecast fixed-line broadband subscribers – higher market growth scenario– 2009 - 2012; 2020
• Table 20 – Forecast fixed-line broadband penetration – higher market growth scenario– 2009 - 2012; 2020
• Table 21 – Forecast fixed-line broadband subscribers – lower market growth scenario – 2009 - 2012; 2020
• Table 22 – Forecast fixed-line broadband penetration – lower market growth scenario – 2009 - 2012; 2020

• Chart 1 – Total broadband subscribers by access type – 2002 - 2012
• Chart 2 – Share of broadband subscribers by platform – 2007 - 2011
• Chart 3 – UPC Ireland broadband, phone, cable TV subscribers – 2006 - 2011
• Chart 4 – DSL access provision by type and operator – 2002 – 2011
• Chart 5 – Wireless hotspots and access points – 2007 - 2011