New Comreg Quarterly Report

cgarvey

http://www.comreg.ie/whats_new/default.asp?ctype=5&nid=102149

Clearly they listened to IoffL's request for raw data to be included. yes, i am being sarcastic

I wonder who the operator in Footnote 6 on page 7 was

Figure 2.9.1 shows Ireland as 10th in EU for DSL pricing (no line rental included, obviously). How, though, did they come up with the 128/2048 figure? If they're taking averages, then surely it's not as high as 2Mb down? If they're taking starting package, then surely 2Mb/128Kb is more expensive than that per Mb price?

Of course there's the usual argument about the selctiveness of the various baskets used.. and the glaring obvious ommission of Line Rental comparisons. Why oh why does Comreg exist to make ComReg look good. What have they to lose if they highlight the BB situation for what it is?

.cg

damien

Slightly Raw Data: http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg0573b.xls

damien

Q2 2005:

DSL subscribers: 141,000
FWA Subscribers: 18,000
Cable Subscribers: 14,900
Total broadband subscribers: 173,900

damien

They forgot about line rental. It's ok though. We can still remind people. http://lists.ie/pipermail/media/2005/000041.html

Mobile monthly ARPU is €48. EU avergage is €31. A staggering €17 per month less.

Also: ComReg notes "Ireland has the highest level of data revenues as a percentage of total mobile revenues." (pg 25)

Even more people got ISDN lines. This should be dropping and being replaced by DSL if broadband was genuinely available.

What's with the pricing baskets for landline costs.
What do they mean by: Average Costs (US$/PPP) in Figure 2.4.1.1 - - OECD National Residential Basket

Peter already highlighted this in a previous blog entry:
http://www.comwreck.com/blog_39_april11.html


So:
Worst for Broadband in the EU.
Most expensive for mobile.
Most expensive line rental.
More people are moving to ISDN not less.
Less people getting landlines.
Way above the EU average for composite residential price baskets.

Funny, they never mentioned that in the PR.

TimTim

At the end of June 2005 there were nearly 2,300 local loops either fully unbundled or shared.

gee, thanks eircom. Your stalling tactics seem to be quite effective.

Morgoth

In figure 2.1.1 in the main document, does:

Interconnect = line rental revenue?
Retail narrowband = revenue from dial-up and FRIACO?
Leased line and managed data... what's managed data?
Other = ??

Going by other data in the report it appears DSL caters for about 18% of total net connections so I'm not sure if it's even on the above figure. Dial-up is still clearly the predominant net access method of course.

damien

http://lists.ie/pipermail/media/2005/000044.html

** Summary of press release: **
Ireland 2nd worst for Broadband in the EU.
Ireland most expensive for mobile costs.
Ireland has most expensive line rental in the EU.
Ireland above the EU average for average landline bills.

** full press release begins **

ComReg stats show financial gloom for telecoms consumers.

Consumer lobby group IrelandOffline today expressed dismay at figures
[1] released by Telecoms Regulator ComReg, which show a stagnant
market for broadband and a telecoms market with significantly
above-average charges in many areas compared to other EU countries.

Commenting on these latest figures, IrelandOffline spokesperson
Jonathan Ó Rinn stated "ComReg once again failed to include any
representative figures and opted instead to provide almost meaningless
sample statistics."

Ó Rinn added "The ComReg report failed to communicate to the Consumer
that Ireland has the highest mobile expenditure in the EU [2], the
highest line rental [3] and that the average landline bill is
considerably above the EU average [4]."

The ComReg figures also showed that for the second quarter running,
broadband uptake was devastatingly low and Ireland was once again 2nd
last in the EU for broadband penetration. [5] Disturbingly, the rate
of growth in broadband subscriptions has also begun to slow
significantly. Instead of being on the road to recovery, Ireland is
paradoxically falling further behind our competitors who are
increasing their broadband subscriptions and penetration rates at a
significant pace.

Commenting on the broadband figures IrelandOffline's Gary Devitt
stated. "It is clear that the Government's target for Broadband
penetration will not be met [6] without rapid and meaningful
intervention. Until this occurs the promotion of Ireland as a
knowledge-based economy will suffer."

"We would question whether ComReg is serious about their consumer
charter" stated Ó Rinn "and whether Minister Dempsey is content with a
market, that while apparently liberalised, is not at all competitive
judging by ComReg's figures. Telecommunications are essential for
consumers and business, yet a monopoly in all but name is being
allowed to stymie growth and innovation to the detriment of both the
consumer and Ireland Inc. on the world stage."



** NOTES **
[1] http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg0573.pdf

[2] Mobile monthly ARPU is €€48. The EU average is €€31. A staggering
€€17 per month higher for Irish Consumers.

[3] In a previous report ComReg highlighted that Ireland had the
highest line rental in the EU. They omitted this crucial data in
today's report. You can read about the previous report here:
http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg0543.pdf
(Line rental details on page 15.)

[4] The price comparison ComReg used in today's report was on National
calls only and did not take into account calls to mobiles, local calls
and line rental. These comparisons known as a "composite basket" were
compared in a report last year by the EU. We do not expect call costs
to have decreased since then. In the report we were 4th most expensive
in the EU. The report can be viewed
here:http://europa.eu.int/information_society/topics/ecomm/doc/all_about/implementation_enforcement/annualreports/10threport/sec20041535VOL2en.pdf

[5] http://www.oecd.org/document/60/0,2340,en_2825_495656_2496764_1_1_1_1,00.html
OECD Report for Dec 2004.

[6] There are now 173,900 broadband connections in Ireland which means
an average uptake of 80,000 connections a year. It will take another
5 and a half years to reach Noel Dempsey's lacklustre figure of
600,000 connections which he wanted by 2007.


**ends**

dahamsta

That was quick...

Lobby group hit out at Comreg
21/09/2005 - 02:36:59

Consumer lobby group IrelandOffline today expressed dismay at figures recently released by telecoms regulator ComReg.

The statistics pointed to a stagnant Irish market for broadband and telecoms, with above-average charges in many areas compared to other EU countries.

“The ComReg report failed to communicate to the consumer that Ireland has the highest mobile expenditure in the EU, the highest line rental and that the average landline bill is considerably above the EU average,” said IrelandOffline spokesperson Jonathan Ó Rinn.

“We would question whether ComReg is serious about their consumer charter and whether Minister Dempsey is content with a market, that while apparently liberalised, is not at all competitive judging by ComReg's figures.

“Telecommunications are essential for consumers and business, yet a monopoly in all but name is being allowed to stymie growth and innovation to the detriment of both the consumer and Ireland Inc. on the world stage.”

damien

Ofcom Watch mentioned our PR too. Thanks Mr. Enck!

jwt

What I find most interesting about this is the explicit linkage to wider economic and social development issues, just the sort of orientation which seems to underpin a number of the municipal fiber and wireless initiatives we're witnessing around the world.

I'm assuming he's referring to "It is clear that the Government's target for Broadband penetration will not be met without rapid and meaningful intervention. Until this occurs the promotion of Ireland as a knowledge-based economy will suffer."

and

"Telecommunications are essential for consumers and business, yet a monopoly in all but name is being allowed to stymie growth and innovation to the detriment of both the consumer and Ireland Inc. on the world stage."

John