Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
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- Figure 1: Total number of mobile phone subscribers, IoI, NI and RoI, 2017-23
- Figure 2: Mobile revenues, by data and voice & other revenues, RoI, 2017-22
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- Figure 3: Mobile subscriptions, by prepay and post-pay, RoI, 2017-22
- Impact of COVID-19 on mobile phones
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- Figure 4: Expected impact of COVID-19 on mobile phones, short, medium and long term, 2022
- Cost of living crisis bites into consumer finances
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- Figure 5: How consumers describe their current financial situation, IoI, April-August 2022
- Figure 6: Selected issues consumers have been affected by in the last 2 months, IoI, June and August 2022
- 16% have switched mobile or broadband provider due to cost of living
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- Figure 7: Cost-saving measures adopted by Irish consumers in the last 2 months, IoI, 2022
- Postpaid subscriptions see 5% increase in RoI
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- Figure 8: Average cost for residential postpaid mobile phone subscription, by selected European countries, 2020-21
- Mobile data use continues to grow
- 5G uptake increases, but 4G still dominates
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- Figure 9: 5G vs 4G and 3G subscriptions, RoI, 2017-22
- Companies and innovations
- The consumer
- Apple and Samsung continue to lead handset ownership
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- Figure 10: Type of smartphone brand that consumers currently personally own, NI and RoI, 2022
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- Figure 11: If consumers’ current handset is the same brand as their previous brand, NI and RoI, 2022
- Vodafone is RoI’s most popular network, while O2 continues to dominate NI
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- Figure 12: Mobile network providers used by consumers for their main mobile phone, RoI, 2021
- Figure 13: Mobile network providers used by consumers for their main mobile phone, NI, 2022
- Postpaid contracts continue to increase in usage
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- Figure 14: Type of mobile network connection, NI and RoI, 2022
- Batteries continue to be key factor for new smartphones, while NI consumers more attracted to brand than RoI
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- Figure 15: Most important factors when buying a new smartphone, NI and RoI, 2022
- High satisfaction with network coverage, but fear of mental health impact of overuse of phones
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- Figure 16: Agreement with statements relating to mobile phones, NI and RoI, 2022
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- 2021-22 sees growth in subscribers slow
- Cost of living crisis bites into consumer finances
- 16% have switched mobile or broadband provider due to cost of living
- Postpaid subscriptions see 5% increase in RoI
- Mobile data use continues to grow
- 5G uptake increases, but 4G still dominates
Market Size and Forecast
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- Short-, medium- and long-term impact on the industry
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- Figure 17: Expected impact of COVID-19 on mobile phones, short, medium and long term, 2022
- Subscriber growth slowing to a crawl in 2022
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- Figure 18: Total number of mobile phone subscribers, IoI, NI and RoI, 2017-27
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- Figure 19: Mobile revenues, by data and voice & other revenues, RoI, 2017-22
- Postpaid services continue to grow
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- Figure 20: Mobile subscriptions, by prepay and post-pay, RoI, 2017-22
- Vodafone and Three continue RoI market domination
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- Figure 21: Operator share of the market, RoI, 2018-22
Market Drivers
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- Consumers struggling in 2022
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- Figure 22: How consumers describe their current financial situation, IoI, 2022
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- Figure 23: How consumers rate their financial situation compared to 12 months previously, IoI, 2022
- Figure 24: Selected issues consumers have been affected by in the last 2 months, IoI, 2022
- 16% have switched to cheaper phone/broadband provider due to cost of living issues
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- Figure 25: Cost-saving measures adopted by Irish consumers in the last 2 months, IoI, 2022
- Average postpaid prices increase 5% in 2021-22
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- Figure 26: Average cost for residential postpaid mobile phone subscription, by selected European countries, 2020-21
- Mobile data usage continues to grow – despite increased costs of living
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- Figure 27: Average mobile data usage, RoI, 2017-22
- Figure 28: Total data usage (petabytes), UK, 2021-22
- 5G rollout continues, but 4G continues to be most used
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- Figure 29: 5G vs 4G and 3G subscriptions, RoI, 2017-22
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Efforts to boost handset recycling
- Worthmore allows consumers to offset phone
- Improving access to second-hand phones
Who’s Innovating?
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- Vodafone Germany signs up to ‘One for One’
- Paying to offset your phone
- Vending for second-hand phones
Companies and Brands
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- Mobile phone brands
- Apple
- Key facts
- Product portfolio
- Recent developments
- Huawei
- Key facts
- Product portfolio
- Recent developments
- Samsung
- Key facts
- Product portfolio
- Recent developments
- Sony
- Key facts
- Product portfolio
- Recent developments
- Mobile phone networks
- EE (Everything Everywhere)
- Key facts
- Products and services
- Recent developments
- Telefonica (Virgin Media O2)
- Key facts
- Products and services
- Recent developments
- Three
- Key facts
- Products and services
- Recent developments
- Tesco Mobile
- Key facts
- Products and services
- Recent developments
- Eir Group
- Key facts
- Products and services
- Recent developments
- Post Mobile
- Key facts
- Products and services
- Recent developments
- Sky Plc
- Key facts
- Products and services
- Recent developments
- Vodafone
- Key facts
- Products and services
- Recent developments
- BT Group
- Key facts
- Products and services
- Recent developments
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Samsung and Apple continue to be favoured handset brands
- Vodafone is RoI’s most popular network, while O2 continues to dominate NI
- Monthly contracts see eight-percentage-point increase in RoI in 2020-22
- Long-lasting battery a key handset consideration
- High satisfaction with network coverage, but fear of mental health impact from overuse of phones
Smartphone Brand
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- Apple and Samsung continue to be top handsets
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- Figure 30: Type of smartphone brand that consumers currently personally own, NI and RoI, 2022
- Younger consumers drawn to Apple; older consumers to Samsung
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- Figure 31: Consumers who own an Apple handset, by age, NI and RoI, 2022
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- Figure 32: Consumers who own a Samsung handset, by age, NI and RoI, 2022
- Seven in ten have the same phone brand as their last handset
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- Figure 33: If consumers’ current handset is the same brand as their previous brand, NI and RoI, 2022
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- Figure 34: If consumers’ current handset is the same brand as their previous brand, by socio-economic group, NI and RoI, 2022
Mobile Network Provider Used
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- Vodafone holds strongest consumer base in RoI
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- Figure 35: Mobile network providers used by consumers for their main mobile phone, RoI, 2021
- NI continues to be dominated by O2
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- Figure 36: Mobile network providers used by consumers for their main mobile phone, NI, 2022
- O2 sees strong use among women
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- Figure 37: Consumers who use O2 as a mobile network provider, by gender, NI, 2022
- Vodafone has stronger usage among mature consumers
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- Figure 38: Consumers who use Vodafone as a mobile network provider, by age group, NI and RoI, 2022
Type of Mobile Network Connection
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- Usage of monthly contracts increases in 2020-22
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- Figure 39: Type of mobile network connection, NI and RoI, 2022
- Postpaid usage increases with age
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- Figure 40: Usage of a monthly contract connection, by gender and age group, NI and RoI, 2022
Important Factors for New Smartphones
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- Long-lasting batteries and storage capacity are key factors
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- Figure 41: Most important factors when buying a new smartphone, NI and RoI, 2022
- Mature consumers put more stock in battery life
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- Figure 42: Consumers who consider long battery life an important factor when buying a new smartphone, by age group, NI and RoI, 2022
- NI consumers more likely to value brand name
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- Figure 43: Consumers who consider brand an important factor when buying a new smartphone, by gender, NI and RoI, 2022
- Camera quality much more important to women
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- Figure 44: Consumers who consider camera quality an important factor when buying a new smartphone, by age group, NI and RoI, 2022
Attitudes towards Mobile Phones
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- Four in five satisfied with their mobile connection
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- Figure 45: Agreement with statements relating to mobile phones, NI and RoI, 2022
- Affluent consumers more inclined to fear mental health impact
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- Figure 46: Agreement with the statement ‘I am concerned about the mental health implications of using my smartphone too often’, by socio economic groups, NI and RoI, 2022
- NI consumers more wary of roaming charges
- Over a third would take environmental factors into consideration when buying a phone
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- Figure 47: Agreement with the statement ‘I would consider how environmentally friendly the manufacturer is before buying a smartphone’, by generational cohort, NI and RoI, 2022
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- Figure 48: If consumers feel their lifestyles are more environmentally friendly now compared to 12 months previously, NI and RoI, 2022
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Data sources
- Generational cohort definitions
- Abbreviations
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