James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Naughten for raising this important issue for discussion. It is well recognised how important telecommunications services are to citizens for so many aspects of their daily lives, including remote working, studying and staying in touch with family members. These services have proved even more essential since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue to provide vital support in accelerating digitalisation as part of our economic recovery from the pandemic.

Access to high-quality telecommunications services is also of crucial importance in the context of supporting the current and future development of enterprise in both rural and urban Ireland as well as supporting our emergency services. Ireland's level of connectivity to support digital activity has improved significantly in recent years. The Digital Economy and Society Index, DESI, is a composite index summarising relevant indicators in Europe's digital performance. Ireland ranked fifth among EU countries in 2021 compared with 11th in 2019. The continued investment by commercial operators and by the State through the national broadband plan will ensure Ireland is set to become the EU leader in connectivity by the second half of this decade.

Mobile coverage obligations are set out in licences granted by the independent regulator, ComReg, to mobile operators. ComReg advises that the current minimum coverage obligations in those licences are being considerably exceeded by all operators.

Capital investment by telecommunications operators over the past five years was in the order of €3.3 billion for both fixed and mobile services. This has significantly enhanced the availability of services, both voice and data, throughout Ireland, including in rural areas. Telecommunication operators have committed to continued investment programmes in the coming years, estimated to be in the region of €700 million per annum.

ComReg is currently in the process of running another multi-band spectrum award to assign rights of use in four spectrum bands. The award comprises 470 MHz of spectrum and represents a 46% increase in the harmonised spectrum assigned for the provision of wireless broadband services in Ireland. This will significantly enable the market to provide improved services to meet increasing consumer demand for mobile data and new services.

To assist consumers to choose the network provider that best meets their needs for where they live, work and travel, ComReg has developed a national outdoor coverage map. This map, which is available on the ComReg website, provides consumers with very clear information on where operators have good 2G, 3G and 4G coverage. For a truly connected society and economy, having access to both mobile and fixed services is important as these services are complementary to each other.

The national broadband plan, which is being deployed across every county, will ensure every home, business, farm and school in rural Ireland will have access to a future-proofed fibre broadband service on par with the best such service available in urban areas. Where citizens have a fixed fibre broadband service, this will reduce some pressure on mobile networks and free up capacity for other users. Another positive benefit results from the amount of fibre now being brought very deep into rural areas, which offers the potential for mobile operators to access this fibre to carry high volumes of data.

It is clearly evident that people living and working in rural areas have benefited from the very significant investment in upgrading both mobile and fixed telecommunications infrastructure. The Government's ambition is for this investment to continue into the future until Ireland has become the most connected country in the EU.

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