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17% quarterly fall in number of text messages sent

The report noted an increase in the number of people using 4G services
The report noted an increase in the number of people using 4G services

The number of text messages sent by mobile users in Ireland fell by 17% in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period of last year.

According to communications regulator ComReg's latest Quarterly Report on the electronic communications market, a total of 1.41 billion SMS messages were sent between April and June, as mobile users continue to shift towards internet-based messaging services.

The report also found that the proportion of mobile users here that are utilising next generation 4G networks has risen from 17% to 34% in the past year.

Our thirst for data also continues to grow, with 46 petabytes of date used in the second quarter of the year, up 11% on the previous quarter and 60% on the second three months of last year.

However, the squeeze on mobile operators also carried on, with the report finding that Average Revenue Per User among mobile providers fell from €24.75 a month in the second quarter of last year to €24.51 during the same period this year.

Traffic over fixed voice lines has fallen 6.2%, but has been partially offset by a 2% increase in mobile voice use over the past year.

Fixed broadband subscriptions rose marginally during the period, with total fixed and mobile broadband penetration now standing at 83%.

Broadband speeds also increased slightly, with the proportion of fixed broadband subscriptions of 10Mbps or more now standing at 75%, up 5% in a year.