ComReg publish Frontier study on postal users’ needs in Ireland

The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), which regulates postal services in Ireland, today published a study on postal users’ needs. The study, by Frontier (Europe) and Amárach Research, also provided an overview of trends in postal usage over time.

The research finds that most mail is sent by a small number of large consumer-facing organisations (such as utilities, financial services and the public sector). For such users, keeping postage costs down was one of the biggest concerns expressed. Electronic substitution is likely to further reduce mail volumes in the future, especially for large mailers.

The study also considers whether the current specification of the universal postal service, required under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) on An Post as the designated provider, is appropriate. The findings suggest support for retaining next day delivery for USO postal services, and that businesses paying for a USO next day delivery service prefer this to be retained. However, the moving to a delivery speed of two days does not appear to be a major inconvenience for most postal users: for instance, most mail sent by large users is already using a deferred service (greater than next day delivery). The research also finds user support for retaining the USO’s current frequency of delivery on each working day.

Frontier regularly advices public authorities, regulators and operators on policy issues in the postal sector.

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