Mobile penetration in Ireland has passed the 100% mark, the latest quarterly report from ComReg on the electronics communications sector shows.
The Commission for Communications Regulation's report for the final quarter of 2005 says that there were 4.2 million mobile subscribers nationally by the end of December 2005 - a penetration rate of 102%. A previously published ComReg survey suggested that as many as 7% of mobile users have more than one active mobile subscription.
Almost half a million mobile users have switched operator while keeping their number since the launch of mobile number portability in June 2003. Over 80,000 numbers were switched during the fourth quarter of 2005.
The latest report also shows that the Irish broadband market continues to grow strongly, with over 270,000 subscribers by the end of last year. Over 58,000 new broadband subscribers were added in the fourth quarter of 2005, compared with just over 34,000 subscribers in the third quarter.
ComReg says that 31% of all internet subscribers are now using some form of broadband as their means of access, compared with 17% at the end of 2004. Cable broadband, fixed wireless, satellite and fibre broadband subscriptions combined now account for 25% of all subscriptions.
Today's report also reveals that the electronic communications market was valued at over _4 billion in 2005, with 48% of this revenue generated by the mobile sector.
