DOCSLIB.ORG

Eircom Holdings (Ireland) Limited

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

eircom Holdings (Ireland) Limited Annual Report for Bondholders Year Ended 30 June 2019 3 September 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS .................................................................................................................... 1 2. INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA .......................................................................................................................... 2 3. PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................... 3 4. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS ........................................................................................................................................... 4 5. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ...................................................................................................................................... 5 6. BUSINESS ................................................................................................................................................................... 6 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS ........................................................................................................................................................... 19 8. RISK FACTORS ........................................................................................................................................................ 34 9. MANAGEMENT ....................................................................................................................................................... 47 10. PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS ............................................................................................................................... 47 11. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS ................................................................................................................... 48 12. DESCRIPTION OF THE SENIOR SECURED NOTES DUE 2026 ......................................................................... 49 13. DESCRIPTION OF OTHER INDEBTEDNESS ....................................................................................................... 50 14. GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................................................................... 76 15. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF EHIL FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2019............... F-1 i DISCLAIMER The following report presents our results for the year ended 30 June 2019. This Annual Report is not an offer for sale of securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. This Annual Report has been prepared for information and background purposes only. It is confidential and does not constitute or form part of, and should not be construed as, an offer or invitation to subscribe for, underwrite or otherwise acquire, any securities of eircom Holdings (Ireland) Limited (the “Company”) or any member of its group nor should it or any part of it form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract to purchase or subscribe for any securities of the Company or any member of its group or with any other contract or commitment whatsoever. Neither this Annual Report nor any part of it may be reproduced (electronically or otherwise) or redistributed, passed on, or the contents otherwise divulged, directly or indirectly, to any other person or published in whole or in part for any purpose without the prior written consent of the Company. This Annual Report does not purport to be all-inclusive or to contain all of the information that any person may require to make a full analysis of the matters referred to herein. Each recipient of this Annual Report must make its own independent investigation and analysis of the Company. This Annual Report may contain certain forward-looking statements that reflect management’s intentions, beliefs or current expectations. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, all statements other than statements of historical facts, including, without limitation, those regarding the Company’s future financial position and results of operations, strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets and future developments in the markets where the Company participates or is seeking to participate. The Company’s ability to achieve its projected results is dependent on many factors which are outside management’s control. Actual results may differ materially from (and be more negative than) those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information involves risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results and is based on certain key assumptions. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. All forward-looking statements included herein are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. In this Annual Report, we may rely on and refer to information regarding our business and the market in which we operate and compete. We have obtained this information from various third party sources, including providers of industry data, discussions with our customers and our own internal estimates. We cannot assure you that any of this information is accurate or correctly reflects our position in the industry, and none of our internal surveys or information has been verified by any independent sources. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the fairness, accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein. None of the Company, its advisers, connected persons or any other person accepts any liability for any loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from this presentation or its contents. This shall not, however, restrict or exclude or limit any duty or liability to a person under any applicable laws or regulations of any jurisdiction which may not lawfully be disclaimed (including in relation to fraudulent misrepresentation). ii 1. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This Annual Report includes forward looking statements. These forward looking statements can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology, including the terms “believes”, “estimates”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “intends”, “may”, “will” or “should” or, in each case, their negative, or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this Annual Report and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which we operate. By their nature, forward looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We caution you that forward looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward looking statements contained in this Annual Report. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate are consistent with the forward looking statements contained in this Annual Report, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods. Important factors that could cause those differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of a potential downturn in the Irish economy including one caused by the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union; increasing competition in the Irish telecommunications market; substitution of other services for our products and services; consolidation in the Irish telecommunications market; our ability to successfully implement our strategy to reduce churn and gain new subscribers; extensive regulation and regulatory initiatives aimed at increasing competition; our ability to successfully compete in broadband services; increased competition in the broadband market as a result of government initiatives; our ability to maintain our favourable brand image; dependence on third parties to distribute products and procure customers; our dependence on the proper functioning of, and our ability to continuously upgrade, our network, IT, and other systems; cybersecurity threats; our ability to adhere to data protection regulation; the outcome of litigation or regulatory action; our leverage and debt service obligations; and other factors discussed or referred to in this Annual Report. We urge you to read the sections of this Annual Report entitled “Risk Factors”, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business” for
Recommended publications
  • EP Activity Report 2014

    EP Activity Report 2014

    EUROPRACTICE IC SERVICE THE RIGHT COCKTAIL OF ASIC SERVICES EUROPRACTICE IC SERVICE OFFERS YOU A PROVEN ROUTE TO ASICS THAT FEATURES: • Low-cost ASIC prototyping • Flexible access to silicon capacity for small and medium volume production quantities • Partnerships with leading world-class foundries, assembly and testhouses • Wide choice of IC technologies • Distribution and full support of high-quality cell libraries and design kits for the most popular CAD tools • RTL-to-Layout service for deep-submicron technologies • Front-end ASIC design through Alliance Partners Industry is rapidly discovering the benefits of using the EUROPRACTICE IC service to help bring new product designs to market quickly and cost-effectively. The EUROPRACTICE ASIC route supports especially those companies who don’t need always the full range of services or high production volumes. Those companies will gain from the flexible access to silicon prototype and production capacity at leading foundries, design services, high quality support and manufacturing expertise that includes IC manufacturing, packaging and test. This you can get all from EUROPRACTICE IC service, a service that is already established for 20 years in the market. THE EUROPRACTICE IC SERVICES ARE OFFERED BY THE FOLLOWING CENTERS: • imec, Leuven (Belgium) • Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Integrierte Schaltungen (Fraunhofer IIS), Erlangen (Germany) This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement N° 610018. This funding is exclusively used to support European universities and research laboratories. By courtesy of imec FOREWORD Dear EUROPRACTICE customers, Time goes on. A year passes very quickly and when we look around us we see a tremendous rapidly changing world.
  • HVAC Monitoring Bundle

    HVAC Monitoring Bundle

    Wzzard™ Starter Kits HVAC Monitoring Bundle SETUP MANUAL HVAC MONITORING BUNDLE Advantech B+B SmartWorx - Americas 707 Dayton Road Ottawa, IL 61350 USA Phone (815) 433-5100 Fax (815) 433-5105 Advantech B+B SmartWorx - European Headquarters Westlink Commercial Park Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland Phone +353 91-792444 Fax +353 91-792445 www.advantech-bb.com [email protected] Document Number: 2009WSKH00_R0_BB-WSK-HAC-1_2517m 2 HVAC MONITORING BUNDLE CONTENTS HVAC MONITORING STARTER KIT ...................................................................................................................... 4 WZZARD NETWORK SETUP .................................................................................................................................. 4 DOWNLOADING THE HVAC MONITOR NODE RED FLOW TO THE GATEWAY ........................................ 5 POWER UP WZZARD EDGE NODE .................................................................................................................... 10 ACCESS Node-RED UI IN THE GATEWAY ........................................................................................................ 11 NETWORK HEALTH PAGE .................................................................................................................................... 12 ATTACHING THE SENSORS ON THE INTELLIGENT EDGE NODES .......................................................... 12 ACCESSING THE DASHBOARD .........................................................................................................................
  • Underground Telecommunications Cable Works for Road, Commercial and Residential Schemes

    Underground Telecommunications Cable Works for Road, Commercial and Residential Schemes

    Recommendations for Underground Telecommunications Cable Works For Road, Commercial and Residential Schemes Department of Public Enterprise Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division CONTENTS FOREWARD Section 1: GENERAL Section 2: TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLING PRACTICE Section 3: NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ROADS Section 4: COMMERCIAL SCHEMES – BUSINESS PARKS AND OFFICES Section 5: RESIDENTIAL SCHEMES APPENDICES Appendix A: TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Appendix B: RECOMMENDED MINIMUM INTERNAL DIMENSIONS FOR CABLE CHAMBERS Appendix C: LIST OF CURRENT HOLDERS OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LICENCES Apendix D UNDERGROUND CROSSINGS WITH ELECTRICITY CABLES MINIMUM CLEARANCES Page 2 of 53 Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division As our economy matures our need and dependence on telecommunications services will increase. It is important that we plan for the future and maximise the opportunities that can be derived from the development of the information society. The provision of telecommunications ducting at the time new build is being put in place is important in that telecommunications services from many operators can be offered at the same time as the rest of the infrastructure is completed. These recommendations are intended to offer some guidance to those who are involved in civil infrastructure developments. Careful planning for the needs of telecommunication operators at an early stage will result in increased savings in costs as well as avoiding for the disruptions associated with footpath and road openings. The Department would like to thank the Department of the Environment, the National Roads Authority, Chorus, Modern Networks Ltd., NTL, ESB, Bord Gais Eireann, Eircom, Nuanet Ltd., for their assistance in preparing these recommendations. Edited by Aidan Ryan, Senior Telecommunications Specialist Approved by Roger O'Connor, Director of Business and Technology Business and Technology Division Department of Public Enterprise 44 Kildare Street, Dublin 2 Page 3 of 53 Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division 1.
  • Future Mobile Connectivity in Ireland

    Future Mobile Connectivity in Ireland

    Future mobile connectivity in Ireland Final report Prepared for ComReg November 2018 www.oxera.com Future mobile connectivity in Ireland Oxera Contents Executive summary 1 1 Introduction 9 2 The Irish context 11 2.1 Ireland’s mobile market and the results of the consumer experience survey 11 2.2 Demographic characteristics of Ireland 12 2.3 The Irish government’s actions to improve fixed and mobile coverage 13 2.4 Spectrum availability in Ireland 15 2.5 The EU’s decision on the use of 470–790MHz band 16 3 Future mobile connectivity services in Ireland 17 3.1 Introduction and key findings 17 3.2 Methodology 17 3.3 Identifying the use cases to include in our modelling 18 4 Methodology and key parameters used in the mobile network cost model 22 4.1 Step 1: Developing a synthetic mobile network 23 4.2 Step 2: Estimating the coverage of the synthetic mobile network in 2017 25 4.3 Step 3: Validating the estimated coverage of the synthetic mobile network 26 4.4 Step 4: Modelling the expansion of the network 27 4.5 Step 5: Defining the scenarios to be simulated 30 4.6 Step 6: Run the simulations and present the results 32 5 Results of mobile network cost modelling 33 5.1 Key features of the cost modelling analysis 33 5.2 Summary results 35 5.3 Detailed results for the main scenarios 40 5.4 Observations on increasing mobile connectivity in black spot areas 53 5.5 Observations on what the market would deliver commercially 54 6 Effectiveness of approaches to promoting mobile connectivity in other EU member states 65 Oxera Consulting LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England no.
  • Determinationofmergern

    Determinationofmergern

    DETERMINATION OF MERGER NOTIFICATION M/17/037 – TESCO IRELAND/ TESCO MOBILE Section 21 of the Competition Act 2002 Proposed acquisition by Tesco Ireland Holdings Limited of sole control of Tesco Mobile Ireland Limited. Dated 26 July 2017 Introduction 1. On 30 June 2017, in accordance with section 18(1)(a) of the Competition Act 2002, as amended (the “Act”), the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (the “Commission”) received a notification of a proposed transaction (the “Proposed Transaction”) whereby Tesco Ireland Holdings Limited (the “Purchaser”), would acquire sole control of Tesco Mobile Ireland Limited (the “Target Company”). The Proposed Transaction 2. The Purchaser and Three Ireland Services (Hutchison) Limited (the “Vendor”) each currently hold 50% of the Target Company’s issued share capital. The Proposed Transaction is to be implemented by way of a share purchase agreement (“the Agreement”) dated 19 June 2017.1 The Proposed Transaction involves the Purchaser acquiring the remaining 50% shareholding in the Target Company from the Vendor resulting in the Purchaser acquiring sole control of the Target Company. 1 The Agreement is between the Vendor, the Purchaser, and the Target Company. The execution of the Agreement is conditional on clearance of the proposed transaction by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. 1 Merger Notification No. M/17/037 – Tesco Ireland / Tesco Mobile The Undertakings Involved The Purchaser 3. The Purchaser is a private company limited by shares, incorporated in the State, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tesco plc.2 The Purchaser, through its operating subsidiary Tesco Ireland Limited, has a number of business activities in the State, including operations in the grocery sector.
  • Terms and Conditions 1. Definitions in This Agreement the Following

    Terms and Conditions 1. Definitions in This Agreement the Following

    Terms and Conditions 1. Definitions In this Agreement the following terms mean: "Advance Payment" – A payment made by the Customer (excluding Charges) to enable the Customer to use Services to include, but not limited to, International Calls, Roaming and Premium Rate Services; “Agreement” The agreement between the Customer and eir Mobile comprising of these terms and conditions, the Application Form and any other subsequent terms expressly agreed in writing between eir Mobile and the Customer. "Application Form" The application for the Services completed by or on behalf of the Customer for the Services and all information, consents and statements which it contains (which information, consents and statements may be obtained over the telephone or online). “Acquisition Add On” – An additional benefit or subsidy that may be provided by eir Mobile to the Customer, where same is recorded on the relevant Application Form, at eir Mobile’s discretion and on such terms as eir Mobile may specify and amend from time to time. “Authorised Representative” – The person or entity authorised by the Owner to complete the Customer Authorisation, or any person reasonably appearing to us to be acting with such individual or entity’s authority. "Bill Pay" The post-paid eir Mobile service whereby the Customer is charged for Services already availed of; “Bill Pay Lite” – Shall mean any Bill Pay Tariff Plan titled with such term and under which the Customer shall be entitled to terminate at any time on thirty days’ notice "Business Day" shall mean a normal working day, excluding weekends and public holidays, in the Territory "Call" - A transmission made over the Network for the purpose of communicating a voice or data message (which includes, without limitation, short text messages ("SMS"), multi-media messages ("MMS"), and usage of Data Sessions).
  • Comreg Consumer Line Statistics Q4 2016 – 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2016

    Comreg Consumer Line Statistics Q4 2016 – 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2016

    Internal Use Only ComReg Consumer Line Statistics Q4 2016 – 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2016 Information Notice Reference: ComReg 17/24 Version: Draft Date: 31/03/2017 An Coimisiún um Rialáil Cumarsáide Commission for Communications Regulation Abbey Court Irish Life Centre Lower Abbey Street Dublin 1 Ireland Telephone +353 1 804 9600 Fax +353 1 804 9680 Email [email protected] Web www.comreg.ie ComReg Consumer Line Statistics ComReg 17/24 1 Executive Summary 1. The Commission for Communications Regulation (“ComReg”) is responsible for regulating the electronic communications sector (telecommunications, radio communications and broadcasting transmission), premium rate services and the postal sector. It is the responsibility of ComReg to inform and protect consumers, encourage innovation and to facilitate competition. 2. ComReg publishes quarterly statistics in respect of the issues raised by consumers who contact our Consumer Line 1 . This publication reflects the period from 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2016. All incidences of consumers contacting ComReg's Consumer Line were logged and the individual issue recorded under one of the main categories as set out in Annex 2. 3. In Q4 2016 a total of 6,642 issues were raised by residential and business customers to ComReg’s Consumer Line. The trend in Figure 1 shows that, compared with Q3 2016, there was a overall increase of 22% in the number of issues. The notable increase is attributed to the volume of PRS issues that increased by 70% from 1,827 in Q2 2016 to 3,110 in Q4 2016. Issues Logged Q3 2016 v Q4 2016 7000 6000 5000 3110 1827 4000 357 309 3000 2000 3262 3223 1000 0 Q3 2016 Q4 2016 ECS Not For ComReg PRS 1 Annex 1 sets out the various ways in which ComReg’s Consumer Line can be contacted.
  • Item for Decision

    Item for Decision

    Internal Use Only Assessment of Mobile Network Operators’ Compliance with Licence Obligations (Coverage) Winter 2016 Information Notice Reference ComReg 17/25 Version: Final Date: 05/04/2017 An Coimisiún um Rialáil Cumarsáide Commission for Communications Regulation Abbey Court Irish Life Centre Lower Abbey Street Dublin 1 Ireland Telephone +353 1 804 9600 Fax +353 1 804 9680 Email [email protected] Web www.comreg.ie Additional Information Document No: 17/25 Date: 05 April 2017 Content Section Page 1 Executive Summary ........................................................................................ 5 2 Licence Types ................................................................................................. 9 3 Drive Test Route ........................................................................................... 11 4 Presentation of Results ................................................................................. 12 4.1 Liberalised Use Licence; 900 & 1800MHz (GSM) ............................................ 13 4.2 Third Generation Licence; UMTS (2100MHz) .................................................. 16 4.3 Liberalised Use Licence 900 MHz (HSDPA/UMTS) ......................................... 20 4.4 Liberalised Use Licence; 800 & 1800MHz (LTE) .............................................. 24 5 Conclusions ................................................................................................... 28 Appendix Section Page Appendix 1: Glossary .....................................................................................
  • Telecoms & Media 2021

    Telecoms & Media 2021

    Telecoms & Media 2021 Telecoms Telecoms & Media 2021 Contributing editors Alexander Brown and David Trapp © Law Business Research 2021 Publisher Tom Barnes [email protected] Subscriptions Claire Bagnall Telecoms & Media [email protected] Senior business development manager Adam Sargent 2021 [email protected] Published by Law Business Research Ltd Contributing editors Meridian House, 34-35 Farringdon Street London, EC4A 4HL, UK Alexander Brown and David Trapp The information provided in this publication Simmons & Simmons LLP is general and may not apply in a specific situation. Legal advice should always be sought before taking any legal action based on the information provided. This information is not intended to create, nor does receipt of it constitute, a lawyer– Lexology Getting The Deal Through is delighted to publish the 22nd edition of Telecoms & Media, client relationship. The publishers and which is available in print and online at www.lexology.com/gtdt. authors accept no responsibility for any Lexology Getting The Deal Through provides international expert analysis in key areas of acts or omissions contained herein. The law, practice and regulation for corporate counsel, cross-border legal practitioners, and company information provided was verified between directors and officers. May and June 2021. Be advised that this is Throughout this edition, and following the unique Lexology Getting The Deal Through format, a developing area. the same key questions are answered by leading practitioners in each of the jurisdictions featured. Lexology Getting The Deal Through titles are published annually in print. Please ensure you © Law Business Research Ltd 2021 are referring to the latest edition or to the online version at www.lexology.com/gtdt.
  • Regulator\ Reform in Ireland

    Regulator\ Reform in Ireland

    5HJXODWRU\ 5HIRUP LQ ,UHODQG 5HJXODWRU\ 5HIRUP LQ WKH 7HOHFRPPXQLFDWLRQV ,QGXVWU\ ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT Pursuant to Article 1 of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December 1960, and which came into force on 30th September 1961, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed: to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development; and to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations. The original Member countries of the OECD are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The following countries became Members subsequently through accession at the dates indicated hereafter: Japan (28th April 1964), Finland (28th January 1969), Australia (7th June 1971), New Zealand (29th May 1973), Mexico (18th May 1994), the Czech Republic (21st December 1995), Hungary (7th May 1996), Poland (22nd November 1996), Korea (12th December 1996) and the Slovak Republic (14th December 2000). The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD (Article 13 of the OECD Convention). Publié en français sous le titre : LA RÉFORME DE LA RÉGLEMENTATION DANS L’INDUSTRIE DES TÉLÉCOMMUNICATIONS © OECD 2001 Permission to reproduce a portion of this work for non-commercial purposes or classroom use should be obtained through the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC), 20, rue des Grands-Augustins, 75006 Paris, France, tel.
  • Comreg Mobile Phone Coverage Map Information Notice

    Comreg Mobile Phone Coverage Map Information Notice

    Internal Use Only ComReg Mobile Phone Coverage Map Information Notice Information Notice Reference: ComReg 19/07 Version: Final Date: 22/02/2019 An Coimisiún um Rialáil Cumarsáide Commission for Communications Regulation 1 Lárcheantar na nDugaí, Sráid na nGildeanna, BÁC 1, Éire, D01 E4X0. One Dockland Central, Guild Street, Dublin 1, Ireland, D01 E4X0. Teil | Tel +353 1 804 9600 Suíomh | Web www.comreg.ie Information Notice ComReg 19/07 Overview The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has today made available an online outdoor mobile phone coverage map which allows consumers to check ComReg’s calculation of operators’ mobile phone coverage and signal levels at locations throughout the country. The mobile coverage map can be found on the ComReg website at coveragemap.comreg.ie The ComReg mobile coverage map will allow mobile phone users throughout the country to see the level of mobile coverage where they work or live. It will also help consumers when making choices between operators based on predicted coverage availability in their area or chosen location. The online tool allows consumers to search and zoom in to a particular area or address. It has been designed to use eircodes and or local addresses for information on coverage at specific locations. Users will be able to zoom into their selected location down to 10 x 10 metres. The ComReg mobile coverage map has been generated using data provided by the Mobile Network Operators: Eir, Three Ireland and Vodafone. ComReg has applied a propagation model to generate coverage predictions. The outdoor mobile coverage map also includes data for the mobile virtual network operators MVNOs (service providers whose services are hosted by the main mobile network operators Eir Mobile, Three Ireland and Vodafone).
  • A Parent's Guide to Mobile Phones

    A Parent's Guide to Mobile Phones

    A PARENT’S GUIDE TO MOBILE PHONES 1 Preface Currently, nine out of ten Irish people have a mobile phone, and over the last five years, we have become increasingly dependent on the new and evolving mobile products and services on offer. In particular, mobile phones are often given to children for security purposes, enabling parents to keep in touch and to make sure they are safe. To keep parents informed of the ever-changing services available on mobile phones, the mobile operators Meteor, O2, Vodafone and 3 Ireland, under the auspices of the Irish Cellular Industry Association (ICIA), have devised this easy reference guide. While the guide sets out the basics of mobile phones in terms of their uses and services, its primary aim is to inform parents of some key safety tips that will encourage responsible and secure use of mobile phones by their children. 2 3 Table of contents PREFACE Page 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 4 1. INTRODUCTION Page 5 2. BASICS OF A MOBILE PHONE HANDSET Page 7 2.1 BILL PAYMENT OPTIONS Page 8 2.2 SIM Page 8 2.3 IMEI Page 9 2.4 CAMERA PHONES Page 9 3. WHAT MOBILE PHONES CAN DO Page 10 3.1 CONNECTION Voice, Text, Multi-Media Messaging Services (MMS) Page 11 3.2 ACCESS TO INFORMATION Internet, Email, Bluetooth Page 12 3.3 SERVICES Games, Premium Rate Services Page 13 4. PARENTAL ACCESS Page 16 5. SAFETY ISSUES AND ADVICE FOR PARENTS Page 18 5.1 BULLYING AND MALICIOUS COMMUNICATIONS Page 19 5.2 THEFT Page 20 5.3 SPAM Page 20 5.4 ILLEGAL IMAGES Page 21 5.5 INTERNET AWARENESS Page 22 5.6 RESPONSIBLE USE Page 23 6.