35% of Irish only use mobile phones

AN EU study shows that just 55% of Irish consumers now have access to both fixed-line and mobile telephones — a 11% decrease since a study at the end of 2009.

It is the biggest reduction in dual-phone access of any country within the 27 EU states. The EU average for access to both types of phone is 62%.

According to the Eurobarometer survey, there is a growing number of Irish adults who use just one type of phone. The number who use just mobile handsets is 35% (up 7%), while those having access to a fixed line only is 8% (up 2%).

Despite the declining popularity of fixed-line phones, 64% of all Irish households still have access to a fixed line, although the figure has dropped 7% since the previous study.

The survey also reveals that 90% of Irish homes have access to at least one mobile phone, 1% above the EU average but down 3% on the previous study.

The percentage of Irish consumers who don’t have access to any type of phone has increased from 1% to 2%.

About three-quarters of Irish people said they limited their use of mobile phones due to concerns about call costs, and 58% limited internet use for the same reason.

Ireland also has one of the highest rates of consumers using mobile phones on a pre-paid basis (56%) compared to just 18% on a contract only basis.

However, the number of people using a contract arrangement is increasing, while there is a decline in demand for pre-paid payment systems.

One-third of Irish consumers also reported using the internet or a wi-fi connected device for making phone calls.

The number of Irish households with a computer has jumped 5% in just over a year to 69%, while 66% have internet access (up 4%).

The main reason cited by those who don’t have a computer is that nobody in the household is interested in having internet access.

The survey showed that 58% of Irish households have access to broadband — an increase of 4% over the previous survey.

Meanwhile, satellite dishes with decoders are the most popular method for receiving TV signals in the Republic (42%) followed by a roof-top aerial (26%). Just 5% of Irish households receive TV signals via digital terrestrial television (DTT) compared to the EU average of 30%. However, the Irish DTT service, Saorview, was only launched in May.