Ireland still lags behind in EU for broadband

IRELAND is still lagging behind its European neighbours when it comes to broadband penetration, despite figures showing it in the top three as regards per-capita subscriber growth in the past year.

A new OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) report on broadband growth and policies in

Europe has shown that Ireland is below the OECD average for broadband penetration based on 16 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

According to the report, in June 2007 eight countries (Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Korea, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Sweden) led the OECD in broadband penetration, each with at least 28 subscribers per 100 inhabitants. Three countries (Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland) had more than 30 subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

Ireland is also fourth bottom of the league table when it comes to infrastructure-based broadband competition.

The same report also shows that Ireland has the second slowest broadband download speed as offered by the incumbent telecommunications operator, in Ireland’s case, Eircom, when compared to selected OECD countries.

Broadband users in Ireland fare little better in terms of the fastest broadband download speeds offered by surveyed cable operators, coming third last in a league table of selected OECD countries.

In terms of broadband in primary and secondary schools in 2006, Ireland was fifth bottom in a table of selected OECD countries.

Ireland is mid-table in terms of broadband penetration growth between 2004 and 2006, having started from a very low base.

At a conference last week, associate director of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Ireland, Bartley O’Connor, said Ireland’s lack of broadband penetration was proving problematic for businesses, claiming it was an “extreme situation”.

“This is affecting business start-ups, not just end users. There could be hundreds more businesses in the country if not for the lack of broadband. People are losing out,” he said.

Last week, Irish Rural Link launched a national campaign aimed at pressuring the Government into improving broadband service in rural areas, calling for the government-funded

National Broadband Strategy to deliver service to neglected areas.