People hang up on land lines as mobile ownership hits 96%

FOR a growing number of people the mobile phone is replacing the home phone as their primary means of electronic communication, according to a new ComReg survey.

While there is nearly universal mobile phone ownership in Ireland, with 96% of respondents to the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) survey saying they own one, three out of 10 people now do not have a fixed line phone.

It is a stark turnaround in the last decade, with the communications regulator’s survey in early 2000 showing only 37% of respondents had a mobile phone, while 82% owned a fixed line.

Now, 70% of those who do not have a fixed line phone in their home say this is because they use a mobile instead.

However, mobile phone ownership remains lower among certain groups, notably those aged 65-74 (82%) and those working in the home (89%).

Computer ownership is catching up with that of mobile phones and eight out of 10 people now have either a personal computer or a laptop at home.

ComReg public affairs manager Tom Butler said the figures showed Irish people remain near the forefront internationally for owning mobile phones and the growing number of home computer owners indicated that “Ireland’s adoption of broadband is gaining momentum rapidly”.

The survey also indicated high user satisfaction. While 60% of respondents had contacted their fixed-line provider’s customer service with problems, almost 90% claimed to have been satisfied with the service received, which was similar among mobile phone users.

Additional roaming costs for using a mobile phone while abroad continue to be a problem for customers. Four in ten mobile roamers who used the internet while travelling in the EU report that they have been affected by “bill shock”.

Of those who have been affected, the majority are not aware that mobile operators are required to offer a data roaming cap.

The survey also found that TV ownership was almost universal, with 98% of respondents confirming they owned a TV set of some variety.

Only a third of people, however, were aware of the proposed analogue TV switch-off in 2012.

The ComReg survey was based on research conducted by Millward Brown Lansdowne among a nationally representative sample of persons aged 15 to 74 throughout the Republic of Ireland.

In total 1,007 people were interviewed between March and June this year.