Eir MD of consumer and small business Susan Brady. Image: Fennell Photography
Eir claims its data usage has surged nationwide this year, with Leitrim having a 50pc increase, the highest of any county.
A new report by Eir claims Ireland’s data usage surged by more than 40pc across the telecoms’ mobile network in the first quarter of 2023.
The report claims this growth has been substantial across Irish counties. Leitrim had the most significant growth at 50pc compared to the same period last year.
This followed Eir’s investment of more than €2.5m to expand Leitrim’s mobile network.
Eir attributed the increase in Ireland’s mobile data usage to its unlimited minutes and unlimited data tariffs, along with the increased adoption of data-intensive applications, such as video and gaming streaming services.
Cork city took the top spot in terms of data usage in Ireland. Tuam in Galway, Athy in Kildare, Dublin Airport and Edenderry in Offaly were the next highest locations in terms of data usage.
Fairhill in Cork city was the top location for voice calls in the country, followed by Athy in Kildare and Dublin’s Poppintree, Coolock and Blanchardstown.
Eir also reports increased levels of 5G usage across Ireland, with Dublin Airport being the top site for 5G usage, followed by Mullingar Town Centre and Dublin’s O’Connell Street.
Susan Brady, Eir’s consumer and small business MD, said the results are a “testament to Eir’s commitment” in providing mobile services to its customers, along with its investment in 5G technology.
“At Eir, we provide our customers with access to world-class connectivity, our broadband having recently been confirmed by Ookla to have the lowest latency in Ireland,” Brady said. “Eir invests more in Irish telecommunications than anyone else, investing €250m annually in its communications networks”.
Eir plans to roll out a gigabit broadband network to 1.9m premises in Ireland by the end of 2026, which will represent 84pc of homes and businesses in the country. The remaining 16pc will be covered by National Broadband Ireland. Eir has invested more than €1bn in building the network to date.
In March, the telecoms company reported growth in its customer base over 2022, but its revenue growth slowed for the year, while its earnings went down by €14m.
Overall, the company reached stable revenue for 2022 thanks to a solid fourth quarter result, which saw increases in revenue, profits and reduced operating costs.
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