
Irish homes are still struggling with poor internet connectivity with people spending almost โฌ80 a year on mobile data on top of wifi costs.
According to research carried out by WiredScore, 92% of homes have connectivity issues and one third of people would not have moved into the home had they known about the internet problems.
The worldโs internet users now spend an average of 6 hoursย and 43 minutes online each day and the typical user now spends more than 40% of their waking lifeย using the internet.
Whilst the governmentโs ambition to move to more fibre connections is welcome, in recent years,ย Irelandโs digital infrastructure has lagged behind its European counterparts, with currently only aroundย 8% of homes having access to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections.
The lack of digital infrastructure is causing Irish residents significant frustration. According to a recentย survey from real estate connectivity certifications provider WiredScore and Opinium, Irish consumersย 92% have experienced connectivity issues at home, with 48% reporting weekly issues, and 18% reportingย daily issues.
Despite these connectivity issues, as of 2020, Ireland was the 9th most expensive country in Europe forย internet packages.
A new report launching today โThe Digital Premium: The Irish Home Connectivityย Reportโ has shown consumers not only pay an average of โฌ51.50 a month for their regular connection,ย but also an estimated extra โฌ78 per year on extra mobile data to make up for their connectivityย problems.
As well as this, 29% of those who had WiFi issues had to buy WiFi extenders/boosters.
The research showed that connectivity issues are common – there are typically 33 service breakdownsย per month. Itโs perhaps no surprise that a third of Irish homeowners and renters (34%) would not haveย moved into their property if theyโd known about the connectivity issues theyโd face.
The report alsoย revealed that WiFi is now an expected utility when looking for a new property according to four in fiveย respondents (84%) – so it is clear there is a significant gap between consumer expectations and theย current reality.