Poor broadband speed ‘leaves us in Stone Age’

IRELAND is in the “Stone Age” when it comes to broadband communications, the opposition claimed after new research found the country is “not ready” for the next generation of internet technology.

There are 15 countries ahead of Ireland for broadband speed and we are among the countries listed as not being prepared for the next generation of “smart” internet applications, such as watching high-definition TV online or new video communications which will become “mainstream in a few years’ time”.

The study by Oxford University and commissioned by technology giant Cisco said download speed in Ireland has increased by 35% in the past year – putting us ahead of Britain, France and United States.

According to Cisco Ireland’s Kim Majerus: “Ireland is rated as a country whose network is ‘meeting the needs of today’s applications. This means they are OK for today but they are not among the 14 countries who are ready for the applications of tomorrow.”

Fine Gael TD Bernard Allen said Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Enterprise Minister Batt O’Keeffe were like “Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble” for presiding over “Stone Age communications networks”.

“Every time they bang on about the smart economy they may as well be shrieking ‘yabba dabba doo!’ for all the sense it makes. We do not have the communications infrastructure to develop any sort of smart economy and we languish in the Stone Age compared to our competitors.”

The Cork North Central TD accused the Government of having no plans to address the situation and called for a national broadband programme to bring fixed connection to anyone who wants it. “We are still in the ridiculous position that many homes and businesses cannot get any sort of broadband. Yet more are forced to rely on mobile or wireless options and high speed broadband is a pipe dream for most,” he said.

According to the Cisco study, Ireland ranks 22nd in the world for mobile broadband.

“Digital radio is still years away from national coverage, free-to-air digital TV is commonplace across Europe but unknown in Ireland, it’s pathetic. Even that most basic of modern tools, the mobile phone, has nothing like the coverage in Ireland that it should,” said Mr Allen.

But Communications Minister Eamon Ryan said the research shows improvements in broadband which reflect Government policy.

“In the last two years, Ireland has seen a spike in broadband improvement, bringing to an end the legacy of under-investment of the early 2000s,” he said.

“We are among the top European countries for broadband leadership, ahead of France, Germany, Spain and the UK and we must build on this.”

Defending the level of access across the country, he said: “We are two years ahead of the EU’s target for nationwide availability, with the National Broadband Scheme nearing completion.”

Fine Gael’s Leo Varadkar, pointed to other research by the OECD, saying Ireland ranks 21st when it comes to the number of people signing up to broadband.

“There isn’t a businessman or citizen in the country outside of Eamon Ryan’s gardening club who think that Irish broadband provision is up to scratch and the facts back this up,” he said.