A survey by ComReg found that the bulk of Irish businesses continue to rely solely on An Post for their postal services.

The survey, conducted in November 2005 amongst 500 businesses, found that only 12 per cent used service providers other than, or as well as, An Post.

This figure is similar to that found in earlier surveys. Of the other service providers used, DHL was the one most frequently mentioned, followed by FedEx and UPS.

Companies in the financial services sector were found to be the greatest users of postal services. In general, companies that used the service a lot were found to be using it more, while those that use it sparingly were found to be using it less.

The most regularly quoted reason for using a service provider other than An Post was that it provided greater reliability and guaranteed tracking.

The survey found that the businesses spent an average of €6,000 on postal services with An Post in 2005, and that awareness of service providers other than An Post was fairly low.

Asked what factor would increase their use of the postal service, the largest cohort (33 per cent) cited increased reliability. The second largest cohort (22 per cent) cited price.

Almost one in five of the respondents (18 per cent) had made a complaint about postal services in the previous year, with 56 per cent of complainants believing that their complaint was dealt with badly.

Asked to rate the postal service and given a five-point choice range, from very good to very bad, 63 per cent of respondents opted for fairly good, the choice next to very good at 18 per cent. Fifteen per cent felt the service was average, with four per cent saying it was very bad.

For An Post, the bulk of respondents - 50-65 per cent - felt the service was average or fairly good in relation to latest collection times for next day delivery, time taken to deliver letters and value for money.

In relation to residential consumers, a survey of 1,008 adults conducted in August 2005 found that an average of nine items were delivered to each home address each week. People aged 45-54 received more mail that other age groups.

Homes with internet access received the highest average weekly mail volumes.

The survey found that unaddressed direct mail volumes had increased to a greater extent than specifically addressed mail.

It found that, on average, five items of mail are sent by residential consumers each week. Employed people and those with direct internet access tend to post the most.

The survey found that 55 per cent of respondents were content with the general cost of postage. About three in five were satisfied with the mail delivery times, and post box collection times, but residents of Dublin were most likely to be dissatisfied.

ComReg commissioner Mike Byrne said postal service surveys are "very useful as they provide information to consumers about the postal sector as it embraces further liberalisation."