Irish Mobile Phone Penetration Hits 100%- Regulator

DUBLIN -(Dow Jones)- Ireland's communications industry regulator ComReg Tuesday said Irish mobile penetration hit 100% in September, while broadband subscriptions more than tripled in the 12 months to September.

Mobile penetration hit 100% for the first time with 4.1 million subscribers nationally, ComReg said in its third-quarter 2005 report. Newcomers to the market like Eircom/Meteor Communications and Hutchison Whampoa have an uphill challenge, analysts say.

Ireland's mobile market is dominated by Vodafone Ireland, with over 50% of the Irish market and 02 Ireland, which has around 40%. Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. recently entered the market and Eircom agreed to buy mobile phone group Meteor earlier this year. Meteor has 10% of the market, mostly pay-as-you-go customers.

ComReg also said that there are 208,500 broadband subscribers in Ireland, up 19% in the three months to September and up nearly 230% in the 12 months to September, with fixed-line company Eircom Group PLC taking 79% of the fixed-line market here.

ComReg said digital subscriber lines remain the dominant telecommunications technology, while non-DSL subscriptions using fixed-line wireless, satellite or cable account for 21% of subscribers.

-By Quentin Fottrell, Dow Jones Newswires; +353-1-6762189; quentin.fottrell@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires "

Posted to the site on 20th December 2005