I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 142 together.
There has been significant development in the mobile phone sector in Ireland over the past five years. With a penetration rate in excess of 83%, Ireland compares favourably with the rest of Europe. The products and services on offer in Ireland also compare favourably. Services such as SMS and customer support provided by operators are considered to be among the best in Europe and beyond.
Various operators in Ireland, including Vodafone, O2, Meteor and "3" all have specific statutory obligations to meet in terms of coverage and quality of service. Responsibility for monitoring and enforcing these obligations rests with ComReg, which informs me that there is good compliance with same. The roll-out of 3G services is also well advanced and issues such as handset availability, battery life and so on are now being resolved. It is expected that the roll-out of 3G in Ireland along with much of the rest of Europe will commence in the final quarter of this year.
As the Deputy is aware, there is one particular area relating to roaming in Border areas about which I am concerned. I have asked ComReg to report to me quarterly on progress on this issue, which I believe is both intrusive and potentially costly for those living along the border. Progress on this issue will also require support of the regulatory authorities in Northern Ireland and, in this context, I am pleased to note that ComReg and Ofcom are jointly working on this issue. I will meet my Northern Ireland counterpart next week to discuss matters regarding energy and telecommunications. One of the issues I will raise is cross-Border roaming.