Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister. I am glad to have the opportunity to reiterate the sentiments I expressed and observations I made at the relevant committee in 2010. This debate provides an opportunity to appraise the position with regard to the level of mobile phone coverage available in Ireland and also to consider what has happened since 2010.

In the period 2008 to 2010, there was a 30% increase in the number of text messages sent. Between March 2010 and March 2011, 5.6 billion texts were sent by Vodafone customers alone. The breakdown of the relevant statistics shows that of the various mobile phone operators, 3 has a market share of 5.8%, Meteor's share is 20%, Vodafone's is 42% and O2's is 32%. There is a need to analyse why there has been such an exponential growth, approximately 10.8%, in the number of texts sent. We could state that things may be good and that from a business point of view, this could be seen as a positive development. However, we must also examine the position with regard to various areas in which there is basically no mobile phone coverage. This is leading to large numbers of dropped calls.

In 2010, the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg, used a very specific methodology to measure mobile phone coverage. This was population-based and was focused on the cities. In carrying out its analysis, ComReg engaged in test drives along national primary and secondary routes. Obviously, this did not take account of coverage on smaller roads and, as a result, we can question the methodology, particularly as the results which it produced have given Vodafone, O2, Meteor and 3 the opportunity to state that they provide 99% coverage. Under the criteria set down by ComReg, this is probably correct but it is certainly not the case in reality.

It is important to point out that we are not seeking the provision of additional masts, rather we are seeking an increase in "piggybacking". Many companies are already working together on this. They are also working in partnership with different State agencies. For example, RTE is renting space on its masts to various phone companies. However, there is still a need to discover whether coverage has increased.

My mobile phone bills have not been dramatically reduced. I have spoken to others whose bills have not been reduced either. In addition, there are still high numbers of dropped calls. There is a technical issue with regard to 3G coverage, which relates to videos, e-mails and large documents. In the context of this matter, I refer specifically to 2G coverage. When I leave my home in Carrigart to drive to Dublin each Tuesday, it is a nightmare when I try to have conversations with people on my phone. I travel through Northern Ireland on my way south and even though the Orange and Vodafone UK networks operate there, the coverage is still disastrous.

There are people in the Gallery from Lifford, County Donegal, and I am aware that they have difficulties with dropped calls and that their phones drop into and out of UK coverage. In that context, there is a need for a debate on the entire cross-Border dimension to this matter. When the Ceann Comhairle attends meetings of the North-South Parliamentary Forum hosted in Northern Ireland by the Speaker of the Assembly, William Hay, MLA, he incurs costs if he receives e-mails on his laptop or iPad. We must, therefore, consider this matter in the context of the North-South integration commitments contained in the Good Friday Agreement. We must also consider why we are incurring additional costs and the role played by ComReg.

Let us consider the good co-operation in which the United Kingdom and Ireland engaged in recent years, even prior to Queen Elizabeth ll's visit last May. There is no doubt that a great deal of business is being done. In that context, some 47% of our exports go to the United Kingdom. If we want to turn intangibles such as the positive goodwill between our two countries into something tangible, we should consider ways in which we can make it easier for people to communicate while doing business.

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