A new report from ComReg has laid bare the problems many people around Ireland continue to experience with their broadband.
According to a recent survey of 1,000 people nationwide by ComReg, a quarter of Irish people (25%) say their home broadband has become worse since the start of the pandemic, while more than one in seven (15%) also say that the quality of their mobile signal for downloading data on their phone has deteriorated since last March.
With more and more of us working and studying from home the demands on our broadband have increased hugely so it’s not surprising to hear that so many people are unhappy with their service. In fact 76% of people say that their household usage of broadband has increased since March with families particularly dependent on it to get through an ordinary day.
As a result, 56% of people say they would now be willing to spend more on broadband in order to get a better service, up from just 28% in April.
According to the survey, general browsing, streaming TV content such as Netflix or Disney+, reading the news, video calling friends and family, and watching videos are the top five things people say they use their broadband for.
However, compared to April, fewer of us are zooming and skyping and more of us are shopping online.
What can you do?
For those looking for faster speeds, the quickest and easiest thing to do is to switch providers of course. As well as getting faster speeds you could also save some money.
Virgin Media now offers speeds of up to one gigabit to almost a million homes around the country, while SIRO, which is a joint venture between the ESB and Vodafone is also rolling out its own high-speed, pure fibre network nationwide, and is now available to almost 400,000 homes.
See here for more info on SIRO and how to sign up, and learn more about fibre broadband with this guide.
And finally 5G mobile broadband is also being rolled out - so for households that don’t have access to a fast, fixed broadband connection this could be a solution.
Use our broadband comparison service to quickly and easily compare broadband providers in your area. Just type in your address or Eircode and we'll take it from there. You can then sort by speed or price, whatever is more important to you.
Before making the switch you may want to check out the following guides, which will help you make an informed decision:
- Have a look at some of the most common questions we get asked about the broadband switching process.
- If you want to know how exactly to switch broadband providers, just follow these few simple steps.
- There are a few things to keep in mind when comparing the best broadband deals on the market. Here’s a list of 7 factors to consider when assessing your options.
You can check out the available broadband providers in Ireland here.
Get the best from your connection
Sometimes you may not need to switch providers - your poor speed could be due to the position of your router or the wires you're using.
Here's a few tips to get the most out of your current connection:
- Reposition your router so that it’s not blocked. The position of your router can have a big impact on the broadband speed you achieve. The closer you and your device are to your home’s router, the faster your connection will be. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to place your router in or near the room in which your internet usage is most frequent.
- Making sure that your browser is up-to-date and your computer is free from viruses. Out of date browsers and infected computers can really slow your entire computer down making your broadband seem much slower.
- Using an older computer or laptop will usually limit the speeds you’re capable of, no matter what deal or provider you’re with, so upgrading to a newer device could help.
- Use a wired connection where possible. Of course wireless broadband is the handiest type of broadband connection - especially when it comes to mobile devices, but if you want the fastest and most reliable connection you should use a wired connection where possible.
See our article here for more tips and info on speeding up your broadband connection.
Let's hear from you!
What do you think of the results from the survey by ComReg?
Are you happy with the speed and quality of your own broadband?
Get in touch and let us know in the comments below, or contact us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
