The telecom regulator, Etain Doyle, has warned that despite the developments made in a relatively short time in the Irish communications industry, growing costs could erode national competitiveness, if left unchecked.
She made her comments at a conference organised by the ODTR on "Regulatory Challenges and Opportunities for the ICT Sector - New EU Framework, New Market perspectives."
"Communication is the key engine of the Irish economy which is underlined by the fact that 9 out of 10 SME's are connected to the internet mainly for research and e-mail purposes," she said.
She said that there are still many issues to be resolved.
Referring to eircom, she said that as the largest company in the market, eircom needs an active competitive telecoms market, in order to continue to develop.