Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 12: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the outcome of the recent 3GSM World Congress and Exhibition in Cannes; his views on the lessons which can be learned for the wireless telecoms industry here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6200/05]

Michael Ahern (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I visited the 3GSM World Congress and Exhibition in Cannes on 15 February last to support the strong Irish delegation of 19 companies which attended it. Fourteen of the Irish companies availed of the Irish stand at the exhibition, organised by Enterprise Ireland, while five companies had their own stands.

The 3GSM World Congress and Exhibition is the premier world show for the wireless telecoms industry. The organisers this year registered over 40,000 participants from over 170 countries, including all of the major operators and equipment manufacturers active in the 3G wireless sector.

Each of the Irish companies attending had an individual programme of meetings with operators and systems integrators.

I attended a networking dinner, organised by Enterprise Ireland, for the Irish companies and their partners on the evening of 15 February. The attendees at this dinner were drawn equally from Irish companies and the international investors, buyers and operating companies represented at the exhibition, some of them brought specially for this event by Enterprise Ireland.

I was pleased to have been able to meet each of the Irish companies participating in the exhibition to express my support for their activities. I also met representatives of NTT DoCoMo, NEC and Siemens' venture capital arm, SMA, to encourage them to improve their co-operation with Irish companies.

I was deeply impressed by both the exhibition and by the Irish companies which participated in it. The companies have a clear commercial focus and excited a substantial level of interest among systems integrators, buyers and operators attending the exhibition. The wireless telecoms market was valued at over $380 billion in 2003, and is expected to grow to over 500 billion dollars in five years time. I believe Ireland has a clear strength in this sector and that many of the companies participating in this exhibition will show substantial growth over the coming years.

Although it is still too soon after the exhibition to detail specific commercial outcomes, the feedback from the companies attending is positive. The Government, through Enterprise Ireland, will be following up with both the Irish companies and the international buyers at the show to ensure that the opportunities identified are availed of.