Synopsis
Ireland’s telecom market has suffered from poor broadband uptake, 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, while the government’s indebtedness has obliged it to rein in investment in infrastructure. Telecom sector revenue fell 1.2% in the year to September 2011, affecting the ability of telcos to invest across the board. Given the country’s economic woes, and the reluctance of consumers to spend on other than essential services, the sector will be restrained for the next few years at least. This report provides statistics and analysis on the key sectors of the Irish telecom market, presenting an overview of the regulatory environment, fixed network operators and services, and telecom infrastructure.
Key developments:
Eircom’s Next Generation Ethernet wholesale service opened in 600 locations; revised NRF comes into play; 14 operators use the service; government promotes NewEra National Recovery Programme requiring 90% FttC connectivity; eircom reports falling revenue in 2011; eircom puts itself up for sale to help manage €3.75 debt pile; regulator and operator data to Q3 2011; market developments to early 2012.
Companies covered in this report include:
BT Ireland, eircom, Smart Telecom, Tele2.
