Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Every day I receive complaints from constituents about the dropping of mobile phone calls. Every day I ask people to move their location so that I can hear what they are saying because of the quality of mobile phone coverage. The Minister of State, coming from a rural constituency, will know exactly what I am talking about. On 1 February the Government launched the new national digital strategy, Harnessing Digital - The Digital Ireland Framework. One of the objectives set out in the framework was making connectivity available to everyone. It set a target that all populated areas would be covered by 5G not later than 2030. Eir today has 5G coverage over 70% of Ireland's population, covering 322 towns throughout the country. That is close to providing coverage for every town of a population of 500 or more. Three has population coverage of 79% for 5G technology. By 2028 we will have 146,000 km of fibre cable stretching across 96% of Ireland's landmass. Therefore, setting a goal for only covering the populated areas of the country two years later by 2030 is not very ambitious.

On top of that, the Minister of State's own Department of Justice, will have to retender for the TETRA radio communications network, the digital radio service for An Garda Síochána and for the other emergency services that is costing the taxpayer €40 million per annum at the moment. This network needs to be replaced with a 5G network and to have geographic coverage. That is not only to support the existing emergency services but also to support the remote drone operation through the Air Corps that provides Garda air support throughout Ireland and not only in the city of Dublin. That can be done with 5G technology.

Today there is a real gap in providing mobile voice and data services to address the blackspots around the country that are having a negative impact on business and tourism in our rural areas. This will have a significant impact on medical care, the care of older people and the use of technology on farms into the future. As one of the most dispersed populations in Europe, Ireland has a relatively high percentage of its landmass with no mobile data coverage. I believe now is the time to focus on the opportunity the State has by working in collaboration with industry to develop a shared rural network to address this issue and assist in the further balanced regional development and economic development of our rural areas. This shared rural network could provide the critical 4G and 5G coverage that would enhance the operation of our rural economy, support key activities such as farming, medical services, older people's schemes in rural areas, and SME business operations, and ensure people could remain connected when travelling around the country, working in rural Ireland or living in our rural areas.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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There is big ambition for providing fibre but none for mobile services. I am talking about establishing a shared rural network with all the operators on it. This would be complementary to the national broadband plan. There are similar models already operating in other markets, such as the UK and Germany. In fact, such a shared rural network is currently being built out in Northern Ireland. The estimated cost of doing that in Ireland is between €30 million and €50 million. That is small money and it would also slash the cost of the provision of an emergency and Garda communications network which must now be re-tendered and a new network built.

I am aware the telecoms industry is already engaging with the Government via IBEC to progress a phase 1 proof-of-concept roll-out of this particular shared rural network model. That will cost approximately €5 million if implemented in the short term. This project would ensure all operators have equal opportunity to provide a service in rural locations and would ensure in the short term that those communities with the poorest service today got an immediate benefit in the form of improved mobile phone coverage. It would be just like what we are doing with the national broadband plan, where we are giving universal access to a network available to all of the operators.

The Minister of State mentioned the auction that is to take place with ComReg. I ask that a small portion of that money, perhaps between €30 million and €50 million, be ring-fenced to establish a shared rural network across this country to ensure everyone has access to a 5G network.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I again thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter concerning the need for decisive steps to be taken to improve mobile phone telephone coverage in rural areas for individuals, businesses and emergency services. I will certainly bring to the Minister's attention his comments on the proposal for a shared rural network with costs estimated at between €30 million and €50 million. As I outlined, connectivity in rural areas, both fixed and mobile, is very much on an upward trajectory. Coverage at both a population and geographical level has greatly improved through the very substantial investments being made by commercial operators and through the Government's national broadband plan.

From a mobile perspective, in particular, a key determinant for quality coverage is the availability of suitable spectrum. Over the past decade, spectrum awards have consistently included appropriate spectrum that has allowed mobile operators to provide enhanced services for customers. ComReg is in the process of running another multiband spectrum award and this will include a number of spectrum bands, including the 700 MHz band. That band is important for the provision of widespread coverage, including in rural areas and on national transport routes. It is highly suitable for the provision of existing 4G and, over time, new 5G services. This is especially important in Ireland given our challenging demographic characteristics and the high and exponential costs associated with deploying very high levels of mobile coverage. This spectrum award process will incentivise commercial operators to continue to invest in their networks and to use the additional spectrum being made available to provide both enhanced and new services throughout the country, including in rural areas. Investment by commercial operators in their fixed and mobile networks, together with the Government's investment in the NBP, will position Ireland as a leader in digital connectivity in EU terms.