ComReg Newsletter Spring 2009

ComReg hosts Research Conference

Minister of State for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Seán Power TD, addresses the conference

ComReg hosted a research conference entitled DATA – Data Analyse Test Act in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland on Thursday March 12. The conference presented a number of key research pieces from bodies such as the Central Statistics Office and the Economic and Social Research Institute, along with ComReg’s own market research - specifically research of business and residential consumers.

ComReg's Trend unit collects primary statistical data from authorised operators on a quarterly basis and also surveys both residential consumers and business users of telecommunications, in order to understand current trends in the Irish communications market and to inform external users.

The conference provided a forum for researchers from a wide variety of organisations, including third-level institutions, industry and the public sector to discuss key Information Communications Technology (ICT) research issues. It also gave key stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback on ComReg’s research strategies and research areas in the future.

DATA was addressed by the Minister of State for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Seán Power TD, and was facilitated by the broadcaster and historian, John Bowman.

All presentations made at the conference are available to view in the Publications Section.

ComReg sponsors Award at the 2009 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition

Pictured left to right are Commissioner Mike Byrne, ComReg; Student Eric Higgins from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, winner of the ComReg Technology Award; and Jim Connolly, Senior Spectrum Advisor at ComReg.

This year ComReg sponsored a Special Award in the Technology category at the 2009 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition for the project which provided the most innovative application of technology in radiocommunications. The winner of the award was Eric Higgins from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, Blarney, Co. Cork for his project entitled An Improvement of Hearing Protection used in High Noise Environments.

The BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition is an annual competition which entered its 45th year in 2009 – making it one of the longest standing exhibitions of its kind in the world. Held every January, the exhibition encourages interest in science in secondary and primary schools.

ComReg also hosted a stand for the duration of the exhibition which saw a huge number of visitors. Members of ComReg’s Enforcement Team gave practical demonstrations of the equipment they use to track down unlicensed radio users in interference investigations. Staff from the Consumer Team were on hand to advise people on any telecommunications issues they may be experiencing. Furthermore, members of the Trend Team directed visitors to www.comstat.ie, ComReg’s primary statistical data website which students and teachers found to be an extremely informative tool. Staff were extremely encouraged by the interest and enthusiasm of students, teachers and members of the public who visited the stand over the course of the exhibition.

ComReg’s involvement in the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition is part of the ongoing Outreach Initiative to offer impartial and independent advice to consumers and to promote the role and services of ComReg.

Be aware of the phone number ‘112’ for emergency services in the EU

ComReg recently advised the public that 112 is the phone number to use when contacting the emergency services throughout the EU.

This emergency number was introduced in 1991 to complement national emergency numbers and make emergency services more accessible in all EU Member States. Since 1998, EU rules require Member States to ensure that all fixed and mobile phone users can call 112 free of charge.

At some point in life, consumers may need to call the emergency services such as fire services, police, or medical personnel. By being prepared for calling emergency services, people can get the help they need much more quickly - which can make a big difference in an emergency. When travelling within Europe, the public can call 112 to reach the emergency services. Parents should also teach their children about when and how to call for help.

The emergency number 112 is accessible using either a fixed line or a mobile phone. As European citizens are increasingly travelling to other countries, for business or social reasons, there is a need for a single number, identical across the EU, to call in the event of an emergency.

It should also be noted that 999 or 112 may be used to call the emergency services in Ireland.

Consumer Queries and Complaints Statistics

October to December 2008

5093 issues were handled by ComReg's Consumer Team from October to December 08. These contacts were both queries and complaints regarding Communication Service Providers.

Consumers contacted ComReg in relation to the following main areas:-

Consumer Statistics for 2008:

	Quarter 1	Quarter 2	Quarter 3	Quarter 4
Total Issues	4371	4635	5208	5093
Category 1	Billing 33%	Billing 35%	Billing 35%	Billing 33%
Category 2	Contractual 14%	Contractual 14%	Contractual 16%	Contractual 16%
Category 3	Service Repairs 13%	Service Repairs 11%	Service Repairs 14%	Service Repairs 12%

ComReg introduces a new framework for Ireland’s .ie Top Level Domain

In January, ComReg published its Response to Consultation on a new framework for the regulation and management of .ie, Ireland’s Top Level Domain (TLD), which is part of the Internet’s global Domain Name System.

Under the Communications Regulation (Amendment) Act 2007, ComReg is responsible for making regulations to ensure the effective management and administration of .ie in the best interests of Irish consumers who use this national resource. The .ie domain is currently managed by IE Domain Registry Ltd. (IEDR).

In June 2008, ComReg consulted on a wide range of issues and simultaneously conducted a comprehensive independent review and due diligence analysis of IEDR’s activities. The Response to Consultation, published in January, described the outcome of that process and outlined ComReg’s conclusions and decisions on a suitable regulatory framework for the .ie domain. The main points were:

ComReg will, by way of regulation, appoint IEDR as the authority authorised to register .ie domain names in accordance with Section 32(4)(a) of the Act of 2007,
IEDR will set up and maintain a Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) representative of all stakeholders with a focus on more transparent policy development,
IEDR will continue to adopt the “managed approach” to .ie registrations to ensure continued protection for .ie domain name holders and consumers,
ComReg will implement a monitoring framework and will participate in the PAC to keep abreast of activities in the marketplace,
Further regulatory measures may be considered in the future, as warranted.

ComReg consults on the Digital Dividend

The switch from analogue to digital broadcasting gives rise to a spectrum dividend, called the digital dividend, and also drives a unique opportunity for Ireland. This digital dividend has the facility to support new types of broadcasting products and services. It also, in freeing up significant amounts of ultra high frequency (UHF) spectrum, has the capacity to enable new and innovative communications products and services for the benefit of the citizens of Ireland.

ComReg recently launched a consultation (ComReg Document 09/15) to advance the debate on Ireland’s digital dividend which was initiated at our 2008 National Annual Conference. In this regard, ComReg very much welcomes comments and contributions in response to this consultation paper from the public, spectrum users and industry, state agencies, interest groups, and Government. The consultation paper is available to view here.

ComReg quarterly report shows increase in broadband take-up

In March, ComReg published its Quarterly Report for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2008. The report includes information on overall trends in the electronic communications sector.

Highlights of the report include:

Broadband subscriptions (including mobile broadband) continued to grow, reaching 1.2 million. This represents an increase of 6.7% on Q3 of 2008 and a 35.4% increase over the full year. Broadband penetration reached 27.1% per capita. According to Informa data, Ireland had a household broadband penetration rate of 62.6%. Excluding mobile broadband, subscriptions stood at 891,346.

Profile of Active Internet Subscriptions

Mobile phone penetration, including High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), reached 121% in Q4 of 2008. Excluding HSDPA, the penetration rate was 114%. In total, there were over 5.3 million mobile phone subscriptions at the end of the quarter.
The number of text messages sent reached over 2.8 billion in Q4 of 2008, up from 2.5 billion in the previous quarter.
Total voice traffic minutes increased by 1% to over 5.1 billion minutes. Although fixed voice minutes declined by 3.6%, mobile voice minutes increased by 4.6%.
ComReg data provided by telecoms operators shows there were over 36.2 million voice over broadband (VoB) minutes in Q4 of 2008, a three-fold increase on VoB minutes of almost 11.7 million in Q4 of 2007.
Total internet subscriptions increased to 1.4 million in Q4 of 2008, a 3.7% increase on the previous quarter and an 18.5% increase on Q4 of 2007.

Irish mobile phone companies comply with EU roaming regulations

In February, ComReg published an Information Notice which showed that Irish mobile phone networks were in compliance with EU roaming regulations for the period April 2008 to September 2008.

ComReg published this information on foot of an EU-wide roaming regulation which places a cap on the charges for voice roaming throughout the European Union.

The data revealed that Irish mobile operators were in compliance with the EU regulation which was implemented in June 2007 by the European Commission. The current retail price ceiling is €0.56c per minute to make a call and €0.27c to receive a call.

The EU Roaming Regulation is currently being reviewed by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. The proposed amendments include extending the voice cap placed on operators from 2010 to 2013 and the regulation of text messaging.

The Information Notice, ComReg Document 09/06, is available to view here.