Poor Internet connectivity still a major issue in Irish homes

Irish homes are still struggling with poor internet connectivity with people spending almost โ‚ฌ80 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 worldโ€™s 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 governmentโ€™s ambition to move to more fibre connections is welcome, in recent years,ย Irelandโ€™s digital infrastructure has lagged behind its European counterparts, with currently only aroundย 8% of homes having access to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections.

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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 โ€˜The Digital Premium: The Irish Home Connectivityย Reportโ€™ has shown consumers not only pay an average of โ‚ฌ51.50 a month for their regular connection,ย but also an estimated extra โ‚ฌ78 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. Itโ€™s perhaps no surprise that a third of Irish homeowners and renters (34%) would not haveย moved into their property if theyโ€™d known about the connectivity issues theyโ€™d 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.