merrion street

"I am very pleased with the very real ‘digital dividend’ so soon after digital switchover as announced by ComReg this morning following the multi-national spectrum auction", Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources said.

"The spectrum auction will contribute some €450M to the Exchequer before the end of this year. Secondly, we can now look forward to the roll-out of much needed faster, fourth generation 4G mobile internet services which will maintain and boost this country’s competitiveness.

"The proceeds of the auction are greater than many people expected and are a statement of confidence in the economy. The total licence payments of €845M are front loaded so over 50% of the money (at least €450M) will go to the exchequer this year. The balance will be paid over by Telecoms companies on a phased basis over the coming years.

"The outcome of this auction is to provide valuable spectrum for the rollout of advanced telecommunications services. The availability of spectrum in the 800Mhz band, for the first time, will allow telecommunications operators to provide new high speed broadband services that were not previously available. This particular band was made available following the successful switch over from analogue to digital TV three weeks ago.

"I expect that the telecoms companies who were the successful bidders will move quickly to build the infrastructure so that we can start to benefit from 4G mobile broadband services in 2013. This will be an important dimension of Ireland's competitiveness in the coming years. It is a key component of the Government's National Broadband Plan which envisages high speed broadband services being rolled out across Ireland in the lifetime of this Government.

The licences are being granted over a period to 2030, providing certainty to mobile operators in a highly competitive and dynamic environment. The Minister said that he looked forward to ComReg's decision on the regulatory arrangements for Next Generation Access in the fixed line sector. The spectrum auction and NGA Regulations are two important milestones in helping accelerate the rollout of high speed broadband services in Ireland" Minister Rabbitte said.