Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for my late arrival this morning. I have another weekly commitment on Wednesday morning, which means it is close to 10 a.m. before I arrive. I thank the witnesses for the presentation. I will not rehash the tales of woe they heard about the Internet and mobile telephone coverage. I am glad that Mr. Denihan is married to a lady from Leitrim because I live there. Suffice it to say, I get a few complaints about mobile telephone and Internet coverage in Leitrim, Sligo and surrounding counties.

I hear there are 50 operators, which seems a crowded market for a small island. It is difficult to see how 50 operators can operate in a small market. It is great to see competition between operators but difficult to see how 50 of them can function in a small market without duplication of effort, infrastructure and cost. What level of co-operation exists between operators? How is duplication of cost managed in a multi-operator environment? Can someone talk to me about opportunities on all-island basis? Perhaps it is already happening to some extent. What should be happening?

Do the operators have a database of mobile coverage black spots? The Department's survey is commencing. Is the information already available to the operators? Is it shared between operators and the Department?

My third question is on the proposal for the roll-out of fibre-optic cable. Will that change conditions for some industry members and leave some at a competitive disadvantage? Does it change the fundamental rules of the market within which the operators operate? What is the cost of mobile telephone and Internet access compared to our European colleagues? We seem to be less competitive than other European countries.