Each Irish mobile phone subscriber sends an average of 78 text messages per month, according to the Commission for Communications Regulation's latest quarterly report for the first three months of the year. The figure is 31% higher than last year.
The report shows that an estimated 3.1 million people now have a mobile phone - around 80% of the population. The average amount spent by consumers on mobiles now stands at €45 per month.
Meteor has a 4% share of the mobile market with Vodafone and O2 accounting for the other 96%.
A report by Amarach Consulting, commissioned by ComReg, showed that 38% of people use the Internet regularly. This is up from 36% last year. The research, carried out in April and May, showed that 38% of internet users had bought goods or services online in the previous three months.
A separate survey for ComReg by TNS MRBI showed that 44% of companies intended to increase their broadband requirements over the next 12 months. But respondents warned that issues such as infrastructure, price reductions and access needed to be addressed if Ireland were to become an e-commerce hub.
The ComReg report reveals that subscriptions to digital television have increased by 36% on last year to 353,000, or one in four households.
The share of the fixed line market held by operators other than Eircom is steady at 21%, while the cost of renting a fixed line grew by 8% in the first quarter of the year.
In other figures, the US Commerce Department reported that housing starts rose 6.1% in May, compared to a revised 6.3% fall in April.
