Dublin radio station Newstalk 106 is the only applicant for a new national news and speech broadcasting licence, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) confirmed today.
The regulator also announced that when the deadline for applications expired yesterday for the existing independent national licence held by Today FM, the station had no rivals.
Although Today FM holds a national licence, Newstalk applied for a "quasi-national" licence, which provides for close to 100 per cent coverage on car radios and 70 - 75 per cent on domestic receivers.
Both licences are of ten years' duration.
The BCI board is likely to consider the applications next month. It can award either licence in principle subject to negotiations, order a public hearing of the application or decline to award the licence.
The award of a national licence to Newstalk would be a massive financial boost for the station. Although it has received a generally warm reception from the critics since it began broadcasting as a Dublin-only station in 2002, its market share remains low at 6 per cent.
The challenge by Zed FM to the awarding of an alternative rock licence for Dublin to Phantom FM is due before the Supreme Court tomorrow.