TELECOMS & MOBILE
Irish people texting rather than talking
11-06-2007
by Emmet Ryan
Texting continues to prove popular with Irish mobile phone users with a new study showing text messages are used more than voice calls.
The ComReg report, entitled ComReg Trends Survey Wave1, found that the average mobile user make five calls a day but sends seven text messages. Unsurprisingly, younger users are more prone to sending texts with the report finding that those in the 15-24 age group were the most prolific senders of text messages, averaging over eight per day. Men appear to be more talkative than women, based on the survey's findings, as their average of six voice calls per day is higher than their female counterparts.
The survey, carried out by Amarach, saw 1,010 people aged between 15 and 74 consulted about their telecoms usage.
Over a third of all phone users, both mobile and fixed line, have compared prices between their current network and rival operators. The study found that 34 percent of fixed line customers and 41 percent of mobile customers have made such a comparison at least once. These results come 18 months after the launch of ComReg's price comparison website www.callcosts.ie. Since its launch in November 2006 almost 280,000 consumers have compared prices on mobile, fixed telephone and broadband packages in Ireland.
Eircom remains the dominant force in fixed line subscriptions, accounting for 82 percent of the market. The survey found that older customers, in the 65-74 age bracket, are more likely to have a fixed line in their home with 81 percent of this group reporting that they had a fixed line. Of those that did not have a landline, 59 percent said they used their mobile phone instead. The average phone bill is EUR97.20 every two months, down 6 percent from the last study.
The report's broadband findings showed that 60 percent of all home internet subscribers are now using some form of broadband. Of these broadband subscribers 81 percent said that they are satisfied with the overall quality of their connection, while 77 percent are satisfied with the speed of their connection. Those who use the internet typically spend on average seven hours per week using the internet from any location.
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