INCREASING NUMBERS of Irish people now own more than one mobile telephone, figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) yesterday have indicated.
In its report, Information Society and Telecommunications 2007, the CSO notes the mobile penetration rate in Ireland stood at 114 per cent of the population, including children, in the second quarter of 2007, up 11 per cent year on year.
This rate of penetration is based on the number of active SIM cards as a percentage of the population.
There were 4.8 million mobile telephone subscribers in the second quarter of 2007, with pre-paid subscribers accounting for three-quarters, the CSO states.
All figures are based on information supplied to the CSO by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).
It recently released separate figures for the fourth quarter of 2007 which revealed that, by that stage, the number of Irish people owning more than one telephone had grown even further. According to these statistics, the level of mobile penetration stood at 116 per cent by the end of 2007.
Elsewhere, the report notes that there has been a significant increase in the numbers of people who subscribe to digital cable or satellite television. By the second quarter of last year, there were 794,000 such subscribers, or three-quarters of all "pay" television subscribers in the period.
This compares with 53 per cent of pay television subscribers who had a satellite or digital cable subscription three years earlier.
The total volume of voice calls, both from landlines and mobile telephones, increased from 15.5 billion minutes in 2005 to 17.2 billion minutes the following year, an increase of 11 per cent.The volume of mobile phone voice calls increased by 24 per cent during that period to 7.1 billion minutes. Mobile calls represented 32 per cent of all voice calls in 2003, jumping to 41 per cent of all voice calls in 2006.
"According to ComReg, there were over 5.7 billion SMS messages sent in Ireland in 2006, an increase of over 89 per cent compared to the 3 billion SMS messages sent in 2003," the research also notes.Ireland is third among EU states for the percentage of its enterprises which received online orders during 2007.
ICT usage: Key findings*
• Almost 31 per cent of all households had a broadband connection to the internet by the first quarter of 2007. This compares to 13 per cent during the same period in 2006.
• 57 per cent of all households had some sort of access to
the internet in 2007, compared to an
EU 27 average of 54 per cent.
• However, only 54 per cent of these households had a high-speed broadband connection. This compares to an EU average of 77 per cent.
• Almost 15 per cent of households in the Border, midland
and western region (BMW) had a broadband connection, compared to 37
per cent of households in the southern and eastern (SE)
region.
• Broadband usage for enterprises was 68 per cent in 2007, compared to 61 per cent in 2006. But the EU average for 2007 was 77 per cent .
• Over 65 per cent (998,000) of households had a home computer in the first quarter of 2007, an increase of over 130,000 households in a year. Some 87 per cent of these were connected to the internet.
• Over 68 per cent of households in the SE region owned a
computer, 88 per cent of which were connected to the internet. But
in the BMW region, over 58 per cent of households owned a
computer, 82 per cent of which were connected to the
internet.
• In 2007, virtually all enterprises in the manufacturing,
construction and services sectors used a
computer and had access to e-mail and the internet.
• Some 64 per cent of enterprises had a website or homepage.
• The number of people with more than one mobile phone continued to increase last year. It stood at 114 per cent in the second quarter of 2007, compared to 103 per cent in the same period of 2006.
• Almost 1,060 SMS messages were sent per head of population in Ireland in 2007. This is amongst the highest rates in the EU.
• The most common private purchases on the internet in 2007 were travel and holiday accommodation ( 530,000) and tickets for events (303,000), followed by films/music (262,000).
• Levels of computer use were highest among students, followed by those who use them at work. Individuals in the 25-34 age group displayed the highest level of both computer and internet use.
• In 2007, virtually all enterprises in the manufacturing,
construction and services sectors used a
computer and had access to e-mail and the internet.
• Some 64 per cent of enterprises had a website or homepage.
• The number of people with more than one mobile phone continued to increase last year. It stood at 114 per cent in the second quarter of 2007, compared to 103 per cent in the same period of 2006.
• Almost 1,060 SMS messages were sent per head of population in Ireland in 2007. This is amongst the highest rates in the EU.
• The most common private purchases on the internet in 2007 were travel and holiday accommodation ( 530,000) and tickets for events (303,000), followed by films/music (262,000).
• Levels of computer use were highest among students, followed by those who use them at work. Individuals in the 25-34 age group displayed the highest level of both computer and internet use.
*Source: Information Society and Telecommunications 2007, published by the CSO.