A new report from price comparison website Switcher has revealed the divide in broadband speeds which Ireland suffers from, with some areas up to 36 times slower than others.
Based on speed test data collected by Switcher, the slowest broadband areas is Legan in Longford with an average download speed of 1.98Mbps. Longford is the slowest county overall with an average of 7.25Mbps; which makes it almost 12 times slower than Ireland's national average.
As perhaps to be expected, Dublin enjoys some of the highest speeds in the country with the fastest average of 44.85Mbps. Drimnagh in Dublin has the fastest average with speeds of 72.15Mbps.
Dublin is followed by Waterford, Kildare, Meath, and then Westmeath for the fastest counties. Longford is followed by Leitrim, Roscommon, Monaghan, and Mayo for the slowest.
Ireland's National Broadband Plan requires a minimum of 30Mbps speeds to be made available to all citizens. Of the data collected, based on almost 27,000 consumer speed tests run by broadband users between 1 August 2015 and 31 July 2016, just 25% of tests had speeds of 30Mbps or more.
“In practical terms, it would take someone living in Legan in Longford over three and a half hours to download a 2-hour HD movie, while people in Drimnagh in Dublin can do this in under 6 minutes. This is a stark difference that could have a real impact on quality of life for people in areas with sluggish speeds. And it can have an impact on house prices, education and local business, too," comments Eoin Clarke, Managing Director of Switcher.
There is some glimmer of hope in the report, with some 'lightning' speeds recorded demonstrating the progress made towards quality broadband access. The highest speed recorded was 989.15Mbps in Ballon in Carlow.
“The results from the speed test data highlight the digital divide in Ireland. We’re seeing lightning speeds in certain areas, largely where there has already been investment made in fibre to the home networks. However, in many areas we are still a long way off these kinds of speeds and slow broadband is a frustration that thousands of people in these places have to deal with every day."
What are your thoughts on Ireland's broadband speed divide? Let us know in the comments.
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