Telecommunications in Ireland operate in a regulated competitive market that provides customers with a wide array of advanced digital services. This article explores Ireland's telecommunications infrastructure including: fixed and mobile networks, The voice, data and Internet services, cable television, developments in next-generation networks and broadcast networks for radio and television.
Eamonn Andrews, was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority, which oversaw the introduction of a state television service in the Republic of Ireland. He is perhaps best remembered as the UK host of This Is Your Life from its inception in 1955 until his death in 1987.
Television in the Republic of Ireland is available through a variety of platforms. The digital terrestrial television service is known as Saorview and is the primary source of broadcast television since analogue transmissions ended on 24 October 2012. Digital satellite and digital cable are also widely used.
Licensed radio broadcasting in Ireland is one element of the wider media of Ireland, with 85% of the population listening to a licensed radio broadcasting service on any given day.
RTÉ Radio 1 is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926.
Raymond Michael D'Arcy is an Irish television and radio presenter currently on his second stint at state broadcaster RTÉ.
The deployment of digital terrestrial television in Ireland has taken some time, with the first small tests being carried out in 1998. 2002 saw the cancellation and non-award of the DTT commercial licence and transmission network sale. In August 2006, a major regional DTT trial began in conjunction with major television channels in Ireland including Raidió Teilifís Éireann, TV3, TG4 and the now-defunct Channel 6. By 2008 the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland announced that three groups had come together with proposals to manage commercial DTT in Ireland.
The Broadcasting (Amendment) Act 2007 is an Act of the Oireachtas which was enacted in April 2007. It deals with Irish Analogue broadcasting systems and the amendment of legislation on Digital Terrestrial Television dating back to 2001. This act amends previous acts in particular the Broadcasting Act 2001.
In Ireland, a television licence is required for any address at which there is a television set. Since 2016, the annual licence fee is €160. Revenue is collected by An Post, the Irish postal service. The bulk of the fee is used to fund Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the state broadcaster. The licence must be paid for any premises that has any equipment that can potentially decode TV signals, even those that are not RTÉ's. The licence is free to anyone over the age of 70, some over 66, some Social Welfare recipients, and the blind. The fee for the licences of such beneficiaries is paid for by the state. The current governing legislation is the Broadcasting Act 2009, in particular Part 9 "Television Licence" and Chapter 5 "Allocation of Public Funding to RTÉ and TG4". Devices which stream television via internet do not need licences, nor do small portable devices such as mobile phones.
RTÉ Radio is a division of the Irish national broadcasting organisation Raidió Teilifís Éireann. It broadcasts four analogue channels and five digital channels nationwide.
The Broadcasting Act 2009 is an Act of the Oireachtas of Ireland. It was signed into law on 12 July 2009, although the provisions relating to the establishment of the new Broadcasting Authority of Ireland did not come into force until a Statutory Instrument was made giving them effect on 30 September 2009.
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on 31 December 1961, making it one of the oldest continuously operating public service broadcasters in the world. It is headquartered in Donnybrook in Dublin, with offices across different parts of Ireland.
The RTÉ Board is a body of up to twelve people which makes policy and guiding corporate direction for RTÉ, Ireland's state public broadcaster. The board membership includes the broadcaster's chief officer and one elected staff representative.
Saorview is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is a former broadcasting authority which regulated both public and commercial broadcasting sector in Ireland.
The Radio Centre is Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann's main production and control centre for their national radio networks. The building is located on the RTÉ campus at Donnybrook in Dublin. Construction of the building commenced in June 1969 and was completed in April 1971.
This is a timeline of RTÉ Television.
This is a timeline of RTÉ Radio.
The National Symphony Orchestra is the largest professional orchestra in Ireland. Housed at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, since January 2022, it used to be the concert and radio orchestra of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Ireland's public radio station. It plays an important role in Irish cultural life, also undertaking occasional tours of Ireland.
