Broadband In Ireland

Before anyone decides to order an "Unlimited broadband package" from provider UPC its worthwhile to do some research on their very vague terms and conditions. Although it states that you will have an "Unlimited" usage limit this is not the case. For a lot of people this meant that they received extra charges on top of their broadband bill for surpassing their limit on their so-called unlimited package. A lot of people have estimated the limit on these packages to be around 150GB to 250GB.

In my opinion the far superior broadband packages are Vodafone’s ‘Ideal’ and ‘Ultimate’. With a clearly outlined 120GB and 300GB limits respectively you will rarely surpass the boundary. They also compare favorably with UPC’s current packages at €48 and €62 per month for upto 8Mb and a massive 24Mb download speed. To take a look at all of Vodafone’s broadband packages click here

I would also recommend downloading one of the various programs available to track the amount you are both uploading and downloading as both are included in the ‘usage’

Over the past few years Ireland has lagged behind in terms of both broadband availability and speed but it seems we are finally catching up. Almost all areas of the country are able to receive the most basic broadband whereas areas such as Dublin, Cork and Limerick are spearheading the way in terms of higher speeds. At the moment Eircom, Vodafone and Magnet offer speeds of up to 24Mb. But right now the fastest broadband in Ireland is UPC’s 100Mb fibre power broadband. Available in only certain areas of the country the package comes with a free wireless router and a 7Mb upload speed. The fastest broadband package in Ireland is perfect for large households or small businesses, at full speed you will be able download a 4min Youtube video in less than 1 second!

Irish broadband provider Magnet now offer a dedicated gaming broadband package. With widespread broadband access and monumental console sales the nation is taking to online gaming in their droves. Hundreds of thousands of people across Ireland are logging into Playstation Network or Xbox Live every week so this is without a doubt the best way to keep up with the trend. 
The package itself consists of 12Mb broadband with an "individually tuned line dedicated to you", free installation, free router and no download limit.
The most attractive aspect of Magnet’s gaming broadband is the promise of the "fastest ping times" and "lowest latency available" which in layman’s terms means much smoother gameplay due to faster data updates.

To check Magnet broadband availability or to order any broadband package visit their website here - Magnet Ireland 

Vodafone Ireland currently offer both pay-as-you-go and pay monthly mobile broadband, both types have their advantages but which is for you?

Standard Modems

Pay As You Go

• Speed - Up to 7.2Mb
• Cost - €3 per day/ €10 per week/ €20 per month
• Download Limit - 500Mb(day) to 5Gb(month)
• No contract or bill
• Perfect for someone of the move with a fixed line at home

UPC Ireland is now offering what it calls the country’s fastest broadband. At €80 a month it doesn’t come cheap but 100Mb is more than enough for a 5 person household, all downloading at the same time. As is the case with most high speed broadband it is not available in many areas across Ireland so visit their website for more details. 

Irish broadband supplier UPC had doubled it’s line speed across the board and now offers packages of 10, 20 and 30Mb broadband, available at €25 €34 and €42 a month respectively.

Broadband provider UPC has been reprimanded for failing to properly inform its customers of  price increases that happened  in early January 2011 .
The Comreg code of conduct says that  the company must inform its customers individually in writing of increases and substantial changes to the terms and conditions of their contracts. UPC should  also  give customers 30 days to opt out of contracts if they wish to without imposing any penalty.
ComReg found the company had failed to properly notify customers of the increases which came into effect across its broadband and telephone services on January 4th.
UPC  could face High Court action.

UPC said it believed it had complied with “all regulatory obligations as provided under our licence”. I

BT is testing a wireless internet network in Dublin, it is hoped that it could become one of the biggest wi-fi installations in Ireland.BT say the trail at an unnamed University has been very successful. This follows the news that BT’s wireless hotspots are recieving twice as many users every year, a trend which is replicated across the country on a wide rance of networks. In Ireland there are currently 1,429 wi-fi hotspots from firms such as eircom and BT. In some cases access to a wi-fi network is free but others will require a per minute or per hour fee. Devices such as the iPod touch and the iPhone are wi-fi compatible, a major factor in the growth of the service. 

Currently the largest provider of wi-fi hotspots in Ireland is Bitbuzz with 52% of the market. They specialise in providing wi-fi broadband in hotel’s and have just signed a wi-fi deal with the Mooney hotel group for 3 years.

High speed broadband has been named as one of the solutions to the current economic down-turn. It is thought that if high speed broadband was widly available in Ireland then the country would become a lot more popular with MNC’s (Multi National Companies). Eircom are currently responsible for the broadband infrastructure in Ireland, a fact that many have fears about as they are due to lay of 1000 staff in the near future and are currently €4bn in debt.

The government in Northern Ireland are seeking high-speed broadband companies to provide the service in the region. The winner of the contract will be offered between £8-12m to carry out the work by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI). Other funding of £3-7m will be used to maximise coverage of broadband in built up areas full of businesses. The main target of the DETI is to increace broadband speeds of upto 85%.

Broadband provider BT has just announced a new Irish award scheme which they hope will increace the level of computer literacy in rural areas. The ‘BT Community Connections’ scheme will give community and charitable organisations the chance to apply for a laptop and a year’s free broadband connection. The scheme runs over an 18 month period, with two rounds in June 2009 and January 2010, offering a total of around 80 laptop and broadband packages across Ireland.

With fixed line broadband available to over 80% of the population many Irish people are looking for the same service on the move. Plans are already in motion to deliver a broadband service on trains, planes and taxi’s around the country. Many feel this is Ireland’s chance to move ahead in the broadband sector where, up until now it has somewhat lagged behind. The service would be wi-fi based and it is thought that if consumers make enough noise about the service then this could become a real posibility for Ireland in the near future.