ESAT Digifone has announced that 45,000 customers have moved onto its network since it launched the second GSM mobile phone service in March.

The figures were announced by Digifone's chief executive, Mr Barry Maloney, yesterday.

To date around 9 per cent of the population has bought mobile phones. The state telephone mobile operator Eircell which has been in business for much longer, has around 300,000 subscribers.