Ireland is the third most expensive country in the EU for broadband, but only the 22nd fastest for broadband speed. So, is there any value out there for Irish broadband customers?
It has been a busy few weeks in the Irish broadband market.
We’ve seen the leading four providers announce price increases, eir offer a highly-competitive new deal and SIRO and Sky team up to quicken the rollout of fibre.
And now we have the findings of an extensive global study of broadband prices.
How does Ireland compare to other EU countries?
The new study, carried out by BDRC Continental and Cable.co.uk, has found that Ireland is the third most expensive country in the EU for broadband - only Luxembourg and Malta are pricier.
Ireland is, however, cheaper than EEA member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - as well as Switzerland - for broadband.
The study, which recorded and analysed 3,351 broadband packages across 196 countries between August 18th and October 12th 2017, found that the average monthly price of broadband in Ireland is €60.57.
How does Ireland rank on broadband speed?
Despite the high cost, a similar study carried out by Cable.co.uk in August found that broadband speeds in Ireland are only the 22nd fastest in the EU with a mean download speed of 13.92 Mb.
Sweden has the fastest broadband in the EU, with a mean download speed of over 40 Mb. Swedes pay an average of €47 a month for this quality of service.
Ireland has a well-documented urban-rural divide, with some parts of the country able to enjoy speeds of up to 360 Mb courtesy of Virgin Media and others unable to get online at all.
The Government’s National Broadband Plan, which was designed to provide the entire country with speeds of at least 30 Mb, has been plagued by issues and delays, leaving many people frustrated.
What’s the best broadband deal in Ireland now?
When price and speed are considered together, we are left with an image of market in which price does not match quality of service.
Today’s findings also come hot on the heels of price increase announcements from Eir, Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone.
These unflattering patterns may leave you wondering if there’s any value at all to be had in the broadband market.
Well, there are still some good deals available to those who know where to look and take the time to shop around.
At the time of writing, most providers are offering either substantial discounts or generous sign-up incentives (or both) to new customers who switch.
Check out the video below to see what’s on offer from Eir, Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone at the moment.
What is the average cost of broadband for all 28 EU member states?
Here is a list of the average monthly broadband cost across all 28 EU member states.
