A new study by broadband analysis group Point Topic, published by the European Commission, reveals that while 97 per cent of homes in Ireland can access “basic” broadband, only 36 per cent can get “superfast”or “next generation” broadband.
The difference between basic coverage, which delivers a minimum of 144kbps (kilobits per second), and superfast coverage, which provides 30mbps (megabits per second), could be the difference between a barely functioning connection and one that allows users to carry out business transactions internationally.
Of the 29 European countries included in the study, Ireland came in at 25th for access to superfast broadband. Overall, 96 per cent of EU citizens can get basic broadband at home, and more than 50 per cent can access superfast.