Michael Healy-Rae
Question:783. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on a matter regarding mobile phone charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37314/13]
View answerWednesday, 18 September 2013
Questions (783)
Written answers
Issues relating to mobile phone charges are, in the first instance a matter for ComReg, the independent regulator for the telecommunications sector.I assume the Deputy’s question refers to a publication from the EU Commission’s Office in Dublin last month which claimed that Ireland’s mobile phone charges were more expensive than charges in certain other Member States. Aggregate costs per minute do not necessarily indicate the cheapest offer available in the Irish market and there is a significant variation in these costs across all operators. The EU publication also makes no distinction between pre- and post-paid customers.
According to data from Teligen (who compile telecom data and metrics on behalf of ComReg) the cost of mobile post-paid packages in Ireland is below or close to the EU average while the cost of pre-pay packages is above the average. Costs in Ireland are however converging to the EU average.
ComReg’s data also indicates that the costs have been decreasing over the last two years. In its Quarter 2 Report for June 2013 it shows that Average Revenue per User (ARPU) for mobile services in Q2 2013 was €27 per month, down from €29 for the same period in 2012.
This decline in ARPU is likely to be a reflection of a number of factors including reduced consumer spending, lower priced mobile plans, increased sales of bundled products (combining mobile with fixed calls and sometimes broadband) and reductions in roaming and mobile termination rates, among others.