Technology

Irish users may be ‘missing out on broadband benefits’

More than 80% said they had experienced issues such as slow connections and patchy coverage

The survey revealed several issues with broadband, including buffering and patchy coverage. Photograph: Getty Images

Ciara O'Brien
Fri Dec 29 2023 - 12:03

Irish broadband users may not be getting the most from their high-speed broadband connections, with more than 80 per cent saying they had experienced connectivity issues such as dropouts and patchy coverage.

Despite that, two-thirds said they were satisfied with their connection, according to a new survey commissioned by National Broadband Ireland (NBI).

The study, which was carried out by Core Research, surveyed members of the public living within the National Broadband Plan intervention area. More than 230 people resident in the National Broadband Plan Intervention Area with high-speed fibre broadband available, but who had not yet availed of a connection, were questioned as part of the study.

“The aim of NBI and the Irish Government is for more and more people to avail of high-speed fibre, and the research we commissioned shows there is still a gap in public understanding of the quality of reliability and speed which is now becoming available, which could see people missing out on the benefits of high-speed broadband,” said National Broadband Ireland chief executive Peter Hendrick.

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Among the top issues were patchy coverage, slow downloads, poor signal during busy periods at home, and internet dropout. Almost 60 per cent said they had experienced buffering, while a third had to turn the camera off during online meetings.

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More than a quarter said they commuted to the office to avoid working from home.

“This suggests some people may be settling for less because of a lack of awareness of the increasing availability and much better performance of high-speed fibre broadband,” said Mr Hendrick.

Home broadband speeds have become increasingly important since the Covid-19 pandemic, with an increased number of people dependent on high-speed connections for both social pursuits and working from home.

The State’s heavily subsidised national broadband network has a minimum speed of 500 megabits per second. NBI has partnered with more than 60 retail broadband providers to offer consumers a choice of providers and packages.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist

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