The Web Summit's decision to move to Lisbon in 2016 has many people criticising Ireland's Wi-Fi capabilities. But are these criticisms valid? We take a look at Ireland's broadband infrastructure and highlight the options that are currently available.
This morning we heard the news that The Web Summit – generally regarded as the world’s biggest technology conference – will be soon be saying slán to Ireland and olá to Portugal.
Lisbon is the Summit’s new destination, but it seems that Paddy Cosgrave and co had their choice of a number of other European destinations.
It’s Not Me, it’s You…and Your Wi-Fi
But why the move?
Some think it’s down to the inflated Dublin hotel prices that correspond with the Web Summit every November. Others think it’s a simple case of a business expanding into new territories. And many more are pointing the finger at ongoing Wi-Fi connection problems at the Web Summit in the RDS.
And who can forget the controversy of last year’s event? As the movers and shakers of the global tech community arrived in Dublin, they found themselves unable to connect to the internet at the world's biggest tech conference.
This wasn’t a satirical trick played on attendees to highlight our total dependence on digital devices. This was a Wi-Fi hiccup that caused a lot of headaches.
Ireland’s Broadband
Lisbon may have Cristiano Ronaldo, where we have Aidan McGeady. It may have 25-degree temperatures in autumn, where we have weather warnings. But when it comes to broadband, Ireland has a lot to offer.
In fact, in the past five years, broadband speeds here have increased by 1000%. And prices have fallen by 50%.
With the National Broadband Plan in place, SIRO showcasing its superfast speeds at the Ploughing Championships tomorrow and eir’s recent announcement of 1 Gbps speeds, we’re moving in the right direction as a nation.
Here’s a snapshot of what broadband options are currently available in Ireland:
eir
Speeds of 1 Gbps (that’s the fastest in Ireland!) are available in 15 towns, including Castlebar, Ennis, Letterkenny, Naas and Tralee. And superfast speeds of 100 Mbps and above are available across the country.
eir Play Small
Cost: €25 a month for 4 months, €77 thereafter
Contract: 18 months
What you’ll get:
Unlimited broadband, with speeds of up to 100 Mbps
55 digital TV channels
Anytime calls to Irish mobiles and landlines
UPC
Soon to be re-branded at Virgin Media, UPC offers speeds of up to 240 Mbps, which was the fastest connection available in Ireland before eir arrived on the scene last week.
UPC Value TV, 24Mb Broadband & Anytime World
Cost: €70 a month
Contract: 12 months
What you’ll get:
Unlimited 240 Mbps broadband
50 digital TV channels
Anytime calls to Irish landlines and 400 minutes a month to landlines in 22 countries
Switch to UPC Value TV, 240Mb Broadband & Anytime World now
Sky
Sky is also offering superfast broadband speeds as part of its Tripleplay deals.
Sky Original Bundle & Fibre Unlimited & Talk Freetime
Cost: €60 a month for 6 months, €79 from then on
Contract: 12 months
What you’ll get:
Unlimited broadband, with 100 Mbps speeds
56 digital TV channels, including Sky Atlantic
Off-peak calls to landlines
Switch to Sky Original Bundle & Fibre Unlimited & Talk Freetime now
Switch for Superfast Speeds
Paddy Cosgrave urged the RDS to switch broadband plans last year. And a quick switch through bonkers.ie could solve the broadband issues you might be having.
And let’s face it, we’re all going to want superfast speeds to stream next year’s Web Summit live from Lisbon!
