The Republic has fallen seriously behind its global competitors in terms of broadband connectivity, a new report has found.
The Information Society Commission's latest report says there are only six broadband connections per 100 households in the State - one-fifth of the average in competitor countries.
Published today, the Learning to Innovatereport says a spatial divide based on the quality and cost of advanced telecommunications services has become evident and "could prove to have far-reaching socio-economic consequences".
It concludes "there has been slippage against many of the key objectives set out" in the Government's proposed information technology initiatives.
The report recommends the establishment of a broadband delivery group to orchestrate the delayed roll-out of the technology and to "align the actions of all key stakeholders".
This group would be charged with identifying barriers to adopting of broadband services including what the report describes as "emerging issues of trust and security".
The levels of engagement with information and communication technologies in Ireland have grown significantly in recent years, the report says.
Over four-fifths of household PCs were connected to the Internet in 2004, up from only one quarter in 1998. The Republic now has 46 PCs and 38 Internet connections per 100 households which is broadly consistent with EU averages.
