A new survey shows home broadband speeds are not getting faster - but customers appear happier.
Three in five Irish consumers are satisfied with their home broadband speeds - even though 78% say they are either the same or worse than this time last year.
The survey, from price comparison and switching service Switcher.ie, also shows that there is still an urban/rural divide with a third of people in Connacht/Ulster (33%) saying they are unhappy with their broadband speeds at home, compared to just 16% in Dublin.
1,001 people took part in the survey and almost four in 10 (37%) said that they knew nothing about the Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP).
The NBP was
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first published in August 2012 by then communications minister Pat Rabbitte and set out a strategy to connect all homes, schools, and businesses to high-speed broadband.
The NBP promised to deliver minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload by 2020.
Questions have already been raised around the viability of the plan when both Eir and an ESB-Vodafone joint venture Siro decided not to continue in the tender process.
The survey found that 18% of consumers are not confident the NBP will have any impact on them, while just 14% are confident that it will.
A speed tests taken on Switcher.ie in the first six months of this year show two-thirds of consumers are still getting speeds below 30Mbps, the minimum target proposed by the NBP.
Eoin Clarke, Managing Director of Switcher.ie, said: “In an increasingly digital world, broadband is without a doubt a household essential, and being stuck in the slow lane can really have a big impact on people’s quality of life.
“It’s great to see that people’s satisfaction with the speeds they’re getting at home has improved somewhat, but while we’re hearing a lot about superfast broadband, there are still a significant number that aren’t satisfied with their speeds, and many who feel things aren’t going to improve any time soon, despite the promises of the National Broadband Plan. For people struggling with sluggish speeds, simple things like streaming content, working from home, and keeping in touch with friends and family can be a real issue."
- Digital Desk
