3 Ireland has 134,000 clients, ComReg reveals

Mobile operator 3 Ireland has just 134,000 subscribers and commanded just 3 per cent of the €509 million in revenues generated by mobile operators in the second quarter of the year.

The figures are revealed in the latest quarterly data released by communications regulator ComReg.

3, which is owned by the Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Group, has not released user numbers, citing a corporate policy by its parent.

However, a spokeswoman for 3 confirmed the figures published by ComReg were accurate. The figures indicate that 3 Ireland, which has heavily advertised its mobile services and invested in its own chain of retail outlets, is likely to be carrying a heavy loss since its entry to the Irish market in 2005.

The report also reveals that Eircom is continuing to lose market share for fixed-line services and now has 68 per cent of revenues. This compares to 70 per cent in the first quarter and 74 per cent a year ago. The number of landlines in Ireland was relatively static at 472,725.

Eircom's drop in revenues will have been offset by the performance of its mobile unit, Meteor.

ComReg credits Meteor with 14.5 per cent of the market by revenue, up from 13.6 per cent the previous quarter. Vodafone is still the largest player with 43.4 per cent of revenues, followed by O2 with 39.1 per cent.

The mobile market grew in the April to June quarter, and there are now more than 4.8 million subscriptions, equating to 114 per cent penetration by population.

Irish mobile users spend an average of €44.07 per month, the largest spend in Europe. The Irish talk for 232 minutes on average. This compares with France, where the average is 245 minutes and the average monthly bill is €34.66.

For the first time, the data also includes figures for mobile broadband services offered by Vodafone, O2 and 3. ComReg estimates there are 45,000 subscribers to these services, bringing total broadband subscriptions to 698,000 at the end of June.