Ireland had one of the fastest broadband growth rates in the world in 2006, the latest research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows.
Broadband uptake grew from 6.7 per cent to 12.5 per cent during the 12 months. Only Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand grew faster than Ireland. The OECD estimates that at the end of last year, Ireland had 517,300 broadband subscribers.
An Eircom spokesman welcomed the report and said the penetration rate was currently running at 14 per cent. The former State telecoms group claims to be signing up 4,500 new subscribers a week.
Ireland is now ranked 23rd out of the 30 OECD nations for broadband usage. Denmark, with 31.9 per cent penetration, tops the table, with The Netherlands in second place with 31.8 per cent.
Danny McLaughlin, chief executive, BT Ireland, said the report was good, but much remained to be done in the local market. "In the global knowledge economy, it is not sufficient to be better than you were last year, it is your position relative to competitor economies that will determine the outcomes," he said. "Price, innovation and quality of service are the three key stimulants and come through greater competition in the market."
Eircom's spokesman said 85 per cent of telephone lines in the country could now avail of broadband. Eircom has committed to upgrading another 400 exchanges, but it has not given a timeframe for this.
Eircom said the remaining 220 exchanges are not economical to upgrade. Next week, the Government is expected to announce a tender process to supply broadband to people in these areas.
