IRELAND HAS continued to improve the quality of its broadband services, ranking ahead of Britain, the US and Germany, according to a new global survey.

Ireland ranked 13th out of 72 countries included in the study, tied with Finland and edged up from 14th in 2009. Top of the list was South Korea. The UK and Germany were placed 18th in the table, while the US and France both ranked 15th.

In terms of mobile broadband, the State is in 22nd place in terms of service quality.

The study, carried out by Saïd Business School in Oxford University and commissioned by Cisco, evaluated broadband quality in 72 countries and 239 cities around the world.

The quality of broadband services was evaluated through a series of tests measuring download throughput, upload throughput, and latency capabilities of a connection.

According to the study, download speed in Ireland has improved 35 per cent in the past year, and 87 per cent since 2008.

Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan said the improvement in broadband quality was a reflection of the Government’s progressive broadband policy.

“We are among the top European countries for broadband leadership, ahead of France, Germany, Spain and the UK, and we must build on this. Service providers here are already beginning to deliver the 100 megabit connections in 2010 that Europe is seeking for 2020.

“On access, we are two years ahead of the EU’s target for nationwide availability, with the National Broadband Scheme nearing completion.”

However, the study found more work is needed to ensure networks here can cope with future applications. It said one in five countries was prepared for future applications to support smart, connected communities. Ireland was not among them.

“Ireland is rated as a country whose network is ‘meeting the needs of today’s applications’,” said Cisco Ireland’s managing director Kim Majerus.

“This means they are okay for today but they are not among the 14 countries who are ‘ready for the applications of tomorrow’.”