Communications in the Republic of Ireland, including postal services run by An Post, are regulated to a large extent by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), the Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources has overall responsibility for national policy and regulation. Much of Ireland's communications infrastructure is modern and digital, however in several sectors there are competitive disadvantages to overcome due to the uncompetitive nature of the economy of Ireland.

Contents

1 Broadcasting 2 Internet 3 Telephone 4 See also 5 External links

Broadcasting

Radio

• Stations: AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)
• Radios: 2.55 million (1997)
• See also: List of Irish radio stations

Television

• Stations: 10 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1997)
• Televisions: 1.47 million (1997)
• See also: List of Irish television channels

See also: Radio Telefís Éireann and Broadcasting Commission of Ireland

Internet

• Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 14 (1999)
• Country code (top-level domain): IE
• Internet users: 1.26 million (2003)
• See also: HEAnet, IEDR, INEX

Telephone

Telephone system

• domestic: digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
• international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - fixed

• Lines: 1,955,000 (2003)
• See also: Eircom, BT Ireland

Telephones - mobile

• Lines: 3.4 million (2003)
• STD Codes for Irish mobile phone operators::
  • 083 3 Ireland UMTS (not yet launched)
  • 085 Meteor GSM
  • 086 O2 Ireland GSM
  • 087 Vodafone Ireland GSM, UMTS
  • 088 Eircell TACS (former network, closed July 2001)

NB - due to the introduction of full-number portability, some phones may now operate on different networks to those on which their number was originally allocated, thus an 086 number may not necessarily be an O2 number, likewise a Vodafone customer may have an 085 number if they were previously a Meteor customer.

See also

• List of Ireland-related topics

External links

• Commission for Communications Regulation