Ireland’s telecoms regulator the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has published its ‘Irish Quarterly Communications Market Data Q4 2012’ report showing that revenues from electronic communications fell by 2.4% year-on-year to EUR931.7 million USD1.2 billion) in the last three months of 2012. Although fixed line revenues recovered slightly, growing 1.1% y-o-y to EUR500.3 million, mobile revenues slumped 6.5% to EUR386.5 million and broadcasting revenue dipped 3.0% to EUR44.9 million.
The report also shows that total voice call minutes dropped 5.6% on an annualised basis to 4.139 billion minutes, impacted by a 10.6% fall in fixed voice traffic minutes to 1.445 billion and a 2.7% drop in mobile voice traffic to 2.693 billion minutes. At the end of 2012 the country was home to a total of just over 2.1 million fixed subscriptions (i.e. voice, internet, TV as single-play of bundled packages), down 4.0% year-on-year, including 1.463 million fixed voice subscriptions (up 3.1%). Fixed broadband subscriptions reached 1.112 million, up 3.9% year-on-year, while total mobile connections (including HSDPA) reached 5.461 million (-0.7%). The estimated fixed broadband household penetration rate was 57.3% in Q4 2012. The fixed broadband per capita penetration rate was 24.2% at the same date. The watchdog also noted that average broadband speeds continue to increase. In Q4 2012 approximately 21.2% of all broadband subscriptions were equal to or greater than 10Mbps, up from 18.7% in Q4 2011. Meanwhile, narrowband internet subscriptions continued to fall, to reach just 11,437 by end-2012 – down a massive 53% since 4Q11, ComReg said.