Tag: #broadband

Virgin Media, Eir: The best fixed-line Internet performances in 2024

Barometer of fixed internet connections in Ireland, The analysis period is from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024.

The nPerf barometer is based on 15,886 tests performed by users in real conditions via the nPerf website or using the nPerf application available on Android and iOS.

Sky achieved a notable performance with a nPerf score of 112,942, offering a balanced Internet experience with a Download bitrate of 104 Mbps and an Upload bitrate of 33 Mbps. Despite a Latency of 21 ms, Sky excelled in Browsing at 83%.

Three, with a score of 90,522, focused on providing solid Internet basics, displaying a Download bitrate of 65 Mbps and an Upload bitrate of 30 Mbps, while maintaining a Latency of 32 ms.

Virgin Media led the market with a top nPerf score of 124,559, showcasing a superior Download bitrate of 216 Mbps and an Upload bitrate of 44 Mbps, coupled with a Streaming performance of 89%.

Vodafone showed a strong presence with a score of 114,795, highlighted by an exceptional Upload bitrate of 46 Mbps and outstanding Browsing performance at 85%.

Eir delivered robust results with a nPerf score of 121,760, accompanied by a Download bitrate of 187 Mbps and an Upload bitrate of 45 Mbps, excelling in Streaming at 89%.

“This year, we have seen remarkable improvements in overall performance, particularly in upload speeds and browsing experiences, indicating a positive trend towards enhancing user experience,” said Sébastien de Rosbo, Managing Director nPerf.

Focus WiFi:

Virgin Media is the operator that offers the best WiFi experience in Ireland.

WiFi is a wireless networking technology that allows devices to connect to the Internet without physical cables. It provides flexibility and mobility, enabling users to access the Internet from various locations within the coverage area. The main advantages of WiFi are its convenience and the ability to connect multiple devices simultaneously.

eir ‘2024 Year in Data’ Report Highlights Ireland’s Digital Connectivity and Evolving Habits

eir, Ireland’s largest telecommunications provider, today published its annual ‘2024 Year in Data’ report, showcasing key digital trends across the country. The report offers a detailed view of Ireland’s evolving digital habits, spotlighting notable shifts in home broadband, mobile, and TV usage over the year.

In 2024, Fibre to the Home (FTTH) traffic saw an increase of 38.4%, reflecting the growing demand for high-speed internet across the country. On average, each household used 5,494 Gigabytes (GB) of broadband data in 2024, whereas households with fibre broadband used on average 6,888 GB over the same period.

2024 was also a year of major concerts and events. While Taylor Swift may have dominated headlines, the NFL outperformed her in data usage at the Aviva Stadium. Meanwhile, fans of Pink made more phone calls than Taylor Swift’s audience during their respective summer performances. When it came to sport, football proved to be the nation’s preferred choice, with soccer fans driving higher data usage and phone call activity compared to rugby supporters.

In terms of TV, the Euros 2024 final surpassed The Late Late Toy Show as the most streamed event of the year. On the fixed broadband side, gaming events and chapter releases were the biggest traffic drivers, with the Fortnite update in November claiming the title for the busiest night of the year.

Commenting on the report, Fergal McCann, eir’s Chief Technology Officer said: “In 2024, Irish people have fully embraced technology, both in their home and at major events like Taylor Swift’s Era’s tour. Our ‘2024 Year in Data’ report highlights a clear shift towards more connected, data-driven lifestyles, with a remarkable 38% rise in Fibre to the Home traffic.  This growth reflects the increasing demand for faster, more reliable internet as households, businesses, and communities rely on high-speed connectivity for everything from smart devices in their home to gaming.

At eir, we’re proud to be leading this transformation, continuously investing in next-generation infrastructure to support the changing needs of Ireland’s digital future. As technologies like AI, fibre broadband, and 5G continue to shape our connected world, we remain committed to ensuring our network helps Ireland stay connected and thrive in the digital age.”

2024 key highlights

 Fixed Broadband 

  • Total broadband data usage in 2024 increased by 7.3% versus 2023, with 5,202 Petabytes (PB)  in 2024 v 4,847 PB  in2023
  • Fibre-to-the-Home broadband data increased by 38.4% in 2024 at 2,971 PB, up from 2,146 PB in 2023
  • The most traffic over a single day was 21.8 PB on Saturday 02 November 2024
  • On average, each household used 5,494 Gigabytes (GB) of broadband data in 2024, whereas households with fibre broadband used on average 6,888 GB over the period.
  • The lowest data usage for fixed broadband in 2024 was on Friday 10 May 2024 at 11.6 PB
  • On average, Sunday was the highest data usage day of the week across 2024
  • The total broadband usage across eir’s network (5,202 PB) is the equivalent of 260 billion hours gaming, 15.3 billion hours video chat, 2.6 billion hours film streaming or 800 billion songs streamed

Mobile Network Data

  • The busiest mobile data day in 2024 was July 14th during the Euro Final Spain v England, while June 29th for the Dublin Pride event and July 13th with both Down & Armagh supporters flocking to Croke Park were the busiest days for Roaming customers in Ireland,
  • July and August recorded the highest overall data usage, while May and January saw peaks in voice call activity.
  • The busiest day for outbound roaming was the August Bank Holiday, with many people out of the country.

eir TV 

  • The Euro Final Spain v England on 14th July was the most watched event on eir TV in 2024
  • RTÉ’s Late Late Toy Show on 6th December came in as second most watched. At its peak, the Toy Show accounted for 64% of eir TV viewers down from last year when it accounted for 82% of eir TV viewers
  • Sport accounted for 8 out of the top 10 most viewed listings on eir TV in 2024
  • The Paris Olympics took two of the top 10 most viewed listings in 2024

Key Trends from 2024

  • The Rise of In-Home Devices
    Irish households are rapidly adopting smart technology, with smart security solutions nearly doubling to 30% since 2022 and smart appliances growing to 14% (CSO figures). Over 75% now use internet-connected TVs, while smart wearables and health monitoring tools continue to rise, driving demand for robust broadband to power connected homes.
  • Changing Lifestyles: How AI is Transforming Telco Services
    AI-driven technologies are enabling telcos like eir to deliver smarter, faster, and more responsive services. From optimizing network performance to enhancing customer support, AI is helping providers meet evolving digital habits and user expectations.
  • Future-Proof Technologies Shaping the Way We Live
    The adoption of fibre broadband and 5G is transforming digital lifestyles, with fibre usage up 38% in 2024. These technologies support data-intensive activities like UHD streaming, gaming, and smart home ecosystems, laying the foundation for next-generation connectivity.

Virgin Media Turns Black Friday ‘Red’

Virgin Media is shaking up the Black Friday season by turning it ‘Red’ with a series of fantastic offers across its Broadband, TV, and Mobile services. Starting from November 12th, Virgin Media is inviting customers to experience top-of-the-line connectivity, entertainment, and mobile plans at outstanding prices with exclusive free gifts and savings.

The headline offer for new customers, is a FREE 43” TCL 4K Smart TV when they sign up to Virgin Media’s ultrafast, reliable 1Gb broadband combined with Virgin Media’s popular  ‘Streaming TV’ package, perfect for immersing themselves in the latest and greatest entertainment.

Virgin Mobile customers also have plenty to celebrate this ‘Red Friday.’ Those who purchase a Samsung Galaxy S24 (128GB), Apple iPhone 14 (128GB), or Google Pixel 8 Pro (128GB) from November 12th will receive a complimentary pair of JBL Live Pro 2 earbuds (RRP €149.99), delivering premium sound quality to match their top-tier devices.

Virgin Mobile is also offering upfront savings and reduced monthly fees on some of its most popular handsets. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6, now available for €199 upfront and €40 per month, offers customers an €80 saving. In addition, the Samsung Galaxy S24 (128GB) can be purchased with no upfront cost and a reduced monthly bill of €35, giving customers a €5 monthly saving.

“Our ‘Red Friday’ deals are our way of giving back to our customers with offers that bring exceptional value across broadband, TV, and mobile services,” said Paul Higgins, VP of Commercial at Virgin Media Ireland.

“From fast, reliable internet and immersive entertainment to cutting-edge mobile devices, we’re committed to providing unbeatable experiences for Irish households. This Black Friday, Virgin Media is making it easier than ever for customers to access the very best in connectivity and entertainment at incredible prices.”

 

  • All free gifts with Virgin Mobile are subject to availability, available for a limited period only, and are provided at the time of purchase with delivery or upon collection.
  • Free TCL 43” 4K Smart TV is subject to availability, available for a limited period only, and will be within 5 days once the customer has been installed for 28 days.
  • All offers are subject to application check, availability, and contract terms and conditions.
  • All offers are correct as of November 12, 2024.

For full T&Cs and more information, please visit www.VirginMedia.ie.

Future-proof broadband access technologies gain ground for both fixed and mobile networks across the OECD in 2023

Broadband technologies such as fibre and 5G mobile networks which help “future-proof” networks, continue to grow rapidly to meet the increasing demand for high-quality, affordable and ubiquitous connectivity, the latest OECD broadband data reveals.

Across OECD, fibre connections accounted for 42% of all fixed broadband subscriptions by the end of 2023, compared to 38% a year earlier, while 5G comprised 28% of mobile broadband subscriptions, a 9% increase compared to the end of 2022. Since COVID, total fibre connections in OECD countries have surged by 73%, growing from 122 million in December 2019 to 211 million at year-end 2023.

The countries with the highest share of fibre connections in total fixed broadband are Korea (89.6%), followed by Iceland (89%), Spain (86%), Lithuania (80%), and Japan (79%). Fibre is crucial to future-proof networks that support digital transformation as it offers symmetrical upload and download speeds, scalability and helps support 5G mobile networks.

Transitioning to future-proof broadband access requires the shutdown of legacy copper networks (e.g. DSL). Across the OECD, the share of DSL subscriptions has decreased significantly in four years, from 33% of total fixed broadband subscriptions in 2019 to 20% by the end of 2023.

OECD member countries in Latin America – notably Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico – have accelerated their transition to future-proof networks. Over the past four years, these countries have experienced a 258% increase in fibre connections while legacy DSL subscriptions declined by 66%.

OECD Nordic members such as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden that initiated this technological shift approximately eight years ago, experienced a growth rate of 36% in fibre and a 77% decline in DSL over the same period (2019-23).

Despite already high penetration rates, mobile broadband subscriptions have also grown, increasing by 19% between 2019 and 2023, reaching 1.86 billion subscriptions by December 2023, up from 1.56 billion four years earlier. Japan and the United States lead in mobile broadband penetration, with 203.5 and 190 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants respectively, followed closely by Estonia and Finland with 176 and 160 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants respectively. This growth is likely due to an increase of 5G deployments across the OECD, which are now present in 37 of 38 OECD countries.

The top end of networks also continues to grow. There is growing demand for high-quality broadband offers across the OECD. In four years, the share of Gigabit (GB) offers has more than tripled, reaching 14% of fixed broadband subscriptions in December 2023, up from 4% at the end of 2019.

This is mirrored for mobile data usage, which is on a steady rise in OECD countries: the average monthly data consumption per mobile broadband subscription increased by 20% in just one year, and more than doubled over the past four years (2019-23), climbing from 6 to 13 GB.

 

Fixed broadband subscriptions are still growing in OECD countries, totaling 496.5 million by December 2023, with an average of 36 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. This marks an increase of 63 million, or 15% since the end of 2019. France leads in penetration rates with 47 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, followed closely by Korea (46.6), Switzerland (46.2), and Norway (46).

Fixed wireless access (FWA) is emerging as a connectivity solution in sparsely populated and remote areas due to its lower deployment costs. Although FWA subscriptions account for a modest 5% of the total fixed broadband subscriptions in OECD countries, certain countries had notably high adoption rates by the end of 2023: Czechia at 39%, the Slovak Republic at 23%, New Zealand at 19%, and Estonia at 18%.

Machine-to-machine (M2M) SIM cards are also experiencing again the highest growth rates among all indicators, with a 15% increase in just one year. Sweden and Austria lead in M2M adoption, with 253 and 209 M2M SIM cards per 100 inhabitants, respectively, followed by Iceland (114), the Netherlands (100), and Norway (75). The significant numbers in Sweden and Iceland are largely due to the issuing and registration of M2M SIM cards by national operators for international use.

 

Download broadband data, charts and maps by country.

Virgin Media further expands market reach adding 254,000 premises nationwide in deal with National Broadband Ireland (NBI)

Virgin Media has agreed a network deal with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) whereby Virgin Media will offer a full range of superfast broadband and digital TV services to over 254,000 currently enabled NBI premises throughout Ireland.

Virgin Media’s ongoing €200m network upgrade to full fibre is continuing to 2025 and will support speeds up to 10Gbps. Virgin Media has recently upgraded over 281,000 premises to fibre, offering speeds of 2Gbps across its own network. The Virgin Media network already provides broadband speeds of 1Gbps (gigabits per second) to 1 million premises across Ireland.

Virgin Media’s deal with NBI, along with other already announced wholesale network access developments, brings to 1.4 million the number of premises now able to access Virgin Media’s fastest ever broadband services nationwide.

Virgin Media Ireland CEO Tony Hanway said, “With lightning-fast speeds of up to 2 Gig and 99.9% reliability, our full fibre broadband network is designed to revolutionise the way we connect and experience the digital world. This announcement today with NBI brings our ultrafast broadband and TV services to even more premises across Ireland, enabling homes, businesses, communities and regions nationwide to further prosper and grow.”

Peter Hendrick, CEO of National broadband Ireland (NBI) said, “We’re delighted that Virgin Media will join the growing number of retail service providers offering broadband packages on our network. There are now 70 retail service providers on our network, meaning there is huge choice for anyone connecting to high-speed fibre through NBI. Our rollout will ensure that every home, farm and business in Ireland has access to high-speed broadband with minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second available. We’ve now passed over 254,000 premises across the country and all of these have the same guarantee in terms of access, speed, and reliability.”

Fibre and Fixed Wireless Access are the two fastest-growing fixed broadband technologies in the OECD

The latest OECD statistics show that Fibre and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) have seen the strongest growth in fixed broadband technologies in three years. Fibre subscriptions have increased by 56% between June 2020 to June 2023, and FWA subscriptions have increased by 64%. The United States (252%), Estonia (153%), Norway (139%) and Spain (118%) led this FWA growth. The dynamism of fibre and FWA stands in stark contrasts to the decline in DSL (- 24%).

Fibre, which is the dominant technology since 2021, amounts to 41% of total fixed broadband subscriptions in June 2023 (see graph below). FWA still represents a more modest share of 3.7% of total fixed broadband subscriptions (in countries where data is available). DSL now represents a share of 22% of total broadband, while cable accounts for 30.5% of overall connections. Satellite, which grew 11% over the last three years, represents 0.7% of fixed broadband subscribers.

Broadband access technologies as share of total fixed broadband subscriptions in OECD countries, June 2023

Nine OECD countries have more than 70% of fibre connections over total broadband, with Korea, Japan, Iceland, Spain leading the way with the highest fibre penetration rates of 89%, 86%, 85%, and 84%, respectively. The highest fibre growth rates are in Europe, with Austria and Belgium having growth rates of 75% and 73% over the last year, closely followed by Mexico with a growth in fibre of 68%. Two other Latin American countries are in the top 7: Costa Rica and Colombia with fibre growth rates of 42% and 34%, respectively.

Mobile data usage per subscription grew substantially by 28% in one year passing from 10.2 GB to 13 GB per subscription per month in OECD countries as of June 2023. The amount of data consumed in countries vary greatly from 6 GB to 46 GB, with Latvia being the OECD leader.

Despite an already very high mobile broadband penetration in the OECD area, overall mobile subscriptions continue to grow by 4.6% over the last year, which totalled 1.8 billion as of June 2023, up from 1.74 billion a year earlier. Mobile broadband penetration is highest in Japan, Estonia, the United States and Finland, with subscriptions per 100 inhabitants at 200%, 192%, 183% and 161%, respectively.

Eighteen countries were able to provide the number of their 5G subscriptions separately from mobile broadband subscriptions. The share of 5G in total mobile broadband subscriptions is 23% on average for the OECD countries that provided this data.

Machine-to-machine (M2M) SIM cards grew 14% increase in one year. The two leading countries are Sweden with 238 M2M SIM cards per 100 inhabitants and Iceland (203), followed by Austria (179), the Netherlands (93) and Norway (76). Both Sweden and Iceland issue M2M SIM cards for international use.

Download broadband data, charts and penetration maps by country at:  http://oe.cd/broadband.

Esri’s digital mapping system delivers savings of €5.8M to Fibrus in NI broadband rollout

Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), is today announcing that its digital mapping system has delivered savings of up to €5.8 million to broadband provider Fibrus as it accelerates broadband rollout in Northern Ireland. Fibrus is providing connectivity to 85,000 rural homes and businesses under the Northern Ireland Executive’s initiative, Project Stratum.

Using its ArcGIS technology, Esri Ireland designed a suite of integrated solutions to streamline processes throughout the entire lifecycle of planning, constructing, and maintaining fibre networks. The technology is improving cost control for Fibrus, as ArcGIS calculates precise costs for new infrastructure plans and optimises the number of potential customers in project areas.

The solution is transforming Fibrus’ operations and resulting in time savings of 500 hours per week for Fibrus, its contractors, and subcontractors. It has enhanced process efficiency by at least 50% and is enabling the company to maintain a steady rate of over 5,000 rural home and business connections every month.

Wherever they’re working, over 1,000 field operatives can view plans on digital maps, collect survey data, record cable and pole installations, and flag any issues. Data is shared in real-time to a central dashboard which is improving workflows and increasing collaboration. This has also improved data accuracy, streamlined time-intensive tasks, and decreased misinformation-related issues, enabling Fibrus to meet targets significantly faster.

Issues such as cut cables or storm-damaged poles are now promptly identified, simplifying maintenance planning and facilitating rapid repairs. Dependence on paper-based maps has been eliminated, and Fibrus also uses data collected and shared via ArcGIS online to validate contractor invoices and approve payments based on the latest construction progress information.

Riain Garcia, Senior Manager, GIS, Fibrus, said: “Esri’s system provides far greater visibility of what is happening on the ground, helping us to improve financial control, traceability, and accountability. We have already seen significant cost savings by using ArcGIS to reduce build revisits and by using dashboards to track progress instead of manual processes.”

“I don’t think we would have accomplished the exceptionally high number of connections needed for Project Stratum as fast as we did without ArcGIS. It gives everyone a one-stop shop for information on everything to do with Fibrus projects.”

Philip McLaughlin, Client Manager, Esri Ireland, said: “Fibrus is paving the way towards a more connected future. We’re thrilled to see our technology making a real difference in bringing connectivity to people and businesses throughout Northern Ireland. ArcGIS is a powerful tool which is not only impacting positively on Fibrus and its operations, but is ultimately benefiting and connecting more communities.”

National Broadband Ireland scoops marketing award for National Ploughing Championship presence

The National Broadband Ireland (NBI) stand at the National Ploughing Championship, produced by creative agency, CMS Marketing, has been awarded a silver medal at the Promotional Marketing Association APMC awards.

Commenting, NBI Chief Marketing Officer, Tara Collins said:

“We are delighted to see CMS receive an award for their work on our presence at the National Ploughing Championship last year. NBI is responsible for building and operating the new fibre broadband network under the National Broadband Plan (NBP). As a wholesale utility brand, we needed to provide an exceptional visitor experience on site when competing with large, commercial, consumer brands. CMS delivered for us in spades, and we were able to see this in the results, both in terms of footfall and sign-ups from visitors to receive updates about the availability of NBI fibre in their area. NBI and CMS are looking forward to hosting visitors again at the 2023 National Ploughing Championship where we’ll be aiming to stand out again so we can achieve as much engagement as possible with members of the public. In the meantime, we encourage people to visit NBI.ie, check their Eircode to see if they are part of the NBP rollout and sign up for updates.”

 

Commenting on the win, David Gee, MD at CMS said:

“We’re thrilled with the result for NBI’s integrated brand presence at the National Ploughing Championships, which was the result of a great brand-agency team collaboration. We set our bar high in terms of designing & creating a superior visitor experience at the Championships, which is a highly competitive space for any brand. The results speak for themselves, in terms of the industry accolade and the APMC win, but more importantly the form of client-set objectives – visits to the stand and sign-ups for updates from NBI.”

Fibre is now the dominant broadband access technology in half of all OECD countries

High-speed fibre is now the primary fixed broadband technology in 19 out of 38 OECD countries, according to the latest data. Among these countries, 15 have a share of fibre subscriptions of over 50%.

The latest update of the OECD Broadband Portal shows a 12.3% rise in fibre broadband subscriptions across OECD countries between June 2021 and June 2022, a slightly slower growth rate than the previous 12 months. The need to bolster remote working capacity has remained even as many workers physically returned to the office in 2022, driving demand for fibre connections that provide fast upload and download speeds. Overall, fibre now accounts for 36% of fixed broadband subscriptions in the 38 OECD member countries, up from 22% five years ago.

Korea, Japan and Spain have the highest fibre penetration rates in the OECD at 87%, 84% and 81%, respectively, being among the seven countries with a fibre share of total fixed broadband subscriptions of 70% or above. The highest fibre growth rates in Latin America were in Costa Rica, Chile and Colombia (51%, 35% and 32%, respectively), while in Europe they were Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland (87%, 47% and 40%, respectively).

The latest update of the Broadband Portal features 5G subscriptions for the first time, with 14 OECD countries now able to show 5G data as part of their overall mobile broadband data. Overall, of all 38 OECD countries, 5G services are available in 36, with the number of 5G subscriptions representing 17% of mobile broadband subscriptions (in countries with available data). Denmark (41%, 3.5 million subscriptions), Korea (28.5%, 24.6m) and Japan (21%, 51.5m) have seen the highest take-up. Mobile broadband continued to grow overall, with a 6% increase in subscriptions in the year to June 2022.

Cable grew by a more modest 2% in the year to June 2022 and is now declining in 18 countries. It remains the leading fixed broadband technology in eight OECD countries, and is dominant in North and South America, with subscriptions in the United States, Colombia and Costa Rica accounting for 63%, 59% and 56% of the total, respectively (although in Chile fibre has overtaken cable). In Europe, cable remains popular in Belgium, Hungary and the Netherlands, with 53%, 45% and 44%, respectively.

DSL subscriptions fell by 8.5% over the same period, with several OECD countries showing sharp declines. While DSL remains the main broadband technology in several countries, some saw sharp declines in subscriptions, notably Norway (-64%), Chile (-49%) and Sweden (-41%).

Fibre, DSL and cable in total fixed broadband subscriptions, June 2022

Overall, fixed broadband subscriptions in OECD countries totalled 476 million in June 2022, up from 463 million a year earlier, with an average of 34.7 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. Mobile broadband subscriptions totalled 1.76 billion in June 2022, up from 1.66 billion a year earlier, with an average of 128 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

Download broadband data, charts, and penetration maps by country at http://oe.cd/broadband.