Eircom, the State's incumbent telecoms firm, said that it was on target to attract 100,000 broadband users this year and highlighted the growth potential of digital subscriber line (DSL) yesterday.
DSL is a technology that is used to deliver high-speed internet to customers and which competes with cable and wireless technologies.
Eircom said it now had 50,000 DSL subscribers up from just 3,000 customers in March 2003. About 80 per cent of these customers use Eircom's retail DSL product, with the remainder signing up for similar DSL products marketed by Eircom rivals.
Eircom said there were now 60,000 broadband users in the Republic, which includes cable and fixed-wireless subscribers.
The increased take-up of broadband is good news for the Government, which wants to transform the State from a broadband laggard into a leader.
Eircom is also desperate to roll out the technology as it represents its only real growth opportunity. It generated 17 million from DSL in the year to March.
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