40 years ago today (11 December 1985), then Minister for Communications Jim Mitchell, TD, phoned broadcaster Pat Kenny in Ireland’s first mobile phone call.

The scene was reenacted by Kenny and current Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan, TD, this week, with the minister saying the evolution of telephony and digital communications had seen benefits reaching into almost every corner of the economy and society.

“Given the recessionary environment here in 1985 it was a significant feat for Telecom Éireann to invest into a new telecommunications market 40 years ago,” said O’Donovan.

“Within a decade, market competition really grew and now, incredibly, there are 5m smartphone users in Ireland.”

He pointed to the revolution in broadband in the meantime and the major investment from the state, via the National Broadband Plan and the operators themselves, saying it had enabled “more innovation and job creation”.

The mobile timeline

• 1984: Telecom Éireann enters the world of mobile telephony after receiving a licence from the Department of Communications.
• 1985: Eircell was launched and the first mobile call took place on its network. It had capacity for just 1,000 customers in the greater Dublin area.
• 1987: Expansion of Eircell network to Cork and Limerick
• 1990: Eircell had about 11,300 customers with high cost (device, quarterly rental charge, high cost per minute calls, set-up and connection fee)
• 1993: First digital GSM network launches, introducing SMS and SIM cards
• 2000: Vodafone enters the market and buys Eircell, enabling new technologies and innovative concepts to grow.
• 2001: 3G spectrum licences issued
• 2008: iPhone launches in Ireland, ushering in the smartphone era
• 2025: There are three primary mobile network operators (MNOs) that own and operate the network infrastructure in Ireland  – Three, Eir Mobile and Vodafone, as well as virtual MNOs including Virgin Mobile, Tesco Mobile and An Post Mobile.

“The fact that around 99pc of the population can avail of 4G and 5G is testament to the commitment and financing, provided by our members,” said Nicola Cooke, director of Ibec’s Telecommunications Industry Ireland (TII).

“Ireland has come a long, long way since that first call 40 years ago, and we are now among the most progressive countries in terms of our digital transformation, sitting in fifth place among 27 countries on the EU digital index.”

Note: Timeline from Telecommunications Industry Ireland.

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