Irish users may be ‘missing out on broadband benefits’
Ciara O'Brien
The survey revealed several issues with broadband, including buffering
and patchy coverage. Photograph: Getty Images
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.
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.
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.
Irish Times
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