Ireland - Key Statistics, Telecom Market & Regulatory Overviews

Synopsis

Ireland’s telecom market has suffered from poor broadband take-up, underinvestment and mismanagement within some of the key operators. Eircom has perhaps suffered most from the financial crisis, which hit the operator’s parent company, as well as the government’s reluctance to part-fund its network upgrade. Eircom’s imminent sale and indebtedness is compounded by recurrent difficulties at the recently resurrected Smart Telecom. Overall telecom market revenue fell 8.7% in the year to March 2009, dragged down by a poorly performing mobile sector. This report provides statistics and analysis on the key sectors of the Irish telecom market in 2009, presenting an overview of the regulatory environment, fixed network operators and services, and telecom infrastructure.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
  
• 2. Key statistics
  
• 3. Telecommunications market
  
  • 3.1 Overview of Ireland’s telecom market
    
• 4. Regulatory environment
  
  • 4.1 History
    
  • 4.2 Regulatory authority
    
    • 4.2.1 Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg)
      
  • 4.3 Telecom sector liberalisation in Ireland
    
    • 4.3.1 Privatisation of eircom
      
    • 4.3.2 Interconnect
      
    • 4.3.3 Access
      
    • 4.3.4 Fibre access
      
  • 4.4 Number Portability (NP)
    
  • 4.5 Carrier PreSelection (CPS)
    
• 5. Fixed network operators in Ireland
  
  • 5.1 Operator market shares
    
  • 5.2 eircom
    
    • 5.2.1 Difficulties going into 2009
      
  • 5.3 BT Ireland
    
  • 5.4 Smart Telecom
    
  • 5.5 Tele2
    
  • 5.6 Other operators
    
• 6. Telecommunications infrastructure
  
  • 6.1 National telecom network
    
  • 6.2 Structural separation issues
    
  • 6.3 Next Generation Networks (NGNs)
    
  • 6.4 International
    
    • 6.4.1 Submarine cable networks
      
    • 6.4.2 Satellite networks
      
• 7. Related reports
  

• Table 1 – Country statistics – 2008
• Table 2 – Telecom revenue and investment statistics – 2008
• Table 3 – Telephone network statistics – March 2009
• Table 4 – Internet user statistics – March 2009
• Table 5 – Broadband statistics – March 2009
• Table 6 – Mobile statistics – March 2009
• Table 7 – National telecommunications authority
• Table 8 – Market revenue by fixed, mobile and broadcasting sectors - 2008 - 2009
• Table 9 – Market revenue share by fixed, mobile and broadcasting sectors - 2002 - 2009
• Table 10 – Subscribers by fixed, mobile and broadcasting sectors - 2008 - 2009
• Table 11 – Unbundled loops and access lines – 2004 - 2009
• Table 12 – LLU, shared access price - connection, monthly rental (€) – 2005 - 2008
• Table 13 – eircom access channels: PSTN, ISDN, ADSL and annual change – 2007 - 2008
• Table 14 – Access paths by type – 2005 - 2009
• Table 15 – eircom leased lines by type and annual change – 2005 - 2008
• Table 16 – Numbers ported – 2003 - 2008
• Table 17 – Indirect access lines: CPS and WLR – 2005 - 2009
• Table 18 – Fixed-line and mobile voice traffic in minutes - 2008 - 2009
• Table 19 – Proportion of fixed-line revenue by service - 2004 - 2009
• Table 20 – Fixed-line revenue by operator - Q1 2009
• Table 21 – eircom access channels – 2006 - 2009
• Table 22 – eircom voice traffic minutes by sector and annual change – 2008 - 2009
• Table 23 – eircom financial data (historic) - 2001 - 2007
• Table 24 – eircom financial data - 2008 - 2009
• Table 25 – eircom revenue by sector - 2008 - 2009
• Table 26 – eircom voice and data revenue by type and annual change - 2008 - 2009
• Table 27 – BT Ireland broadband subscribers - 2006 - 2009
• Table 28 – BT Ireland revenue (All Ireland) - 2006 - 2007
• Table 29 – Smart Telecom financial data - 2003 - 2005
• Table 30 – Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 1995 - 2007
• Table 31 – Direct / indirect access paths – 2005 - 2008

• Exhibit 1 – EU – The New Regulatory Framework (NRF)
• Exhibit 2 – Access and the local loop