ComReg, Ireland’s Commission for Communications Regulation, has published the results of its 2025 Mobile Consumer Experience Survey. The survey results show the importance that Irish consumers place on their mobile phone service.

Handset ownership is almost universal across the country, and of those with a handset, 93 per cent own a smartphone. Most users own an Apple or Samsung device (combined 85 per cent market share), and use a smartphone for under two years before buying another device.

Further survey highlights include:

• The incidence of consumers owning refurbished (second-hand) smartphones has doubled (13 per cent of respondents) since the last survey in 2022, underscoring positive momentum toward more sustainable technology choices.
• In terms of coverage experience, satisfaction has increased since 2022. The 2025 findings show that 85 per cent of respondents were satisfied with mobile coverage at their home, and 86 per cent outside their home. A third (33 per cent) of all respondents had experienced loss of signal in the previous month, with rural respondents more impacted.
• The market remains sticky with only 17 per cent of respondents switching in the last three years. Price drives decision-making in this space, with 53 per cent of respondents noting this as their first reason for switching. This is the case both when switching providers and switching plans with the same provider.
• Price also drives decisions to stay with current plans, with 44 per cent of those not switching noting price satisfaction as the key reason for this. The switching process is relatively simple, with 64 per cent noting it was extremely easy.
• The results show an engaged Irish user who is consistently spending significant time on their device, with calling and messaging ranked as most important followed by social media, emailing, and general browsing. Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of respondents are bill pay customers. Some 71 per cent of customers do not worry about paying their phone bill/buying credit as they can comfortably afford it. The average monthly spend for bill pay customers is €39.75, while pre-pay customers are spending €19.84 on average per month.

ComReg Chairperson, Garrett Blaney, commented: “The results of the MCE survey demonstrate the important role mobile services continue to play in people’s daily lives. While new use cases can be seen in comparison to previous iterations – such as generative AI services for personal and work use – traditional mobile services such as voice calls and SMS messages are still ranked as the most essential services by respondents. The adoption of 5G and satisfaction with coverage, as seen in the survey, show that the evolving needs of consumers are met.”

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Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Equipment, Mobile, Research

Tags: apple, ComReg, Ireland, mobile, samsung, smartphone