3. Broadband

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Another quarter and another jump in broadband subscriptions. Irish broadband subscriptions stood at 653,000 at the end of the second quarter of 2007, an 8% rise on the previous quarter.

This figure excludes mobile broadband, a new addition to ComReg’s broadband tracker. The telecoms regulator estimates that there are 40,000 mobile broadband subscribers in Ireland.

While quarter-to-quarter growth levels continue to make headlines, they have yet to make a significant impact on Ireland’s standing in the international broadband league table.

The latest OECD figures show Ireland has hardly budged and remains in the bottom third of the 30 countries tracked.

One of the regular excuses given – our low population density – seems thin when comparisons are drawn with other OECD countries. The Nordic countries have low population densities but are in the top third of OECD countries. The great broadband uptake debate will run and run…

Back to contents of State of the Net issue 7