Telecommunications in Ireland - Internet

Internet

• Internet users: 3.6 million, 77% of the population, 70th in the world (2011); 3.0 million, 67th in the world (2009)
• Dial-up subscriptions: 11 437 (Q4 2012 ComStat)
• Fixed broadband subscriptions: 1,666,645 (Q4 2012 ComStat)
• Mobile broadband subscriptions: 554,563 Q4 2012 ComStat)
• Internet hosts: 1.4 million, 40th in the world (2012)
• Internet censorship: Little or none (2011)
• Top-level domain name: .ie

Broadband Internet access is available in Ireland via DSL, cable, wireless, and satellite. By the end of 2011 Eircom announced that 75% of its working lines would be connected to Next Generation Broadband (NGB) enabled exchanges.

A typical monthly broadband Internet subscription cost $26.02 in 2011, 14% less than the average of $30.16 for the 34 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries surveyed.

In August 2012 Pat Rabbitte, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, outlined a national broadband plan with goals of:

• 70-100 Mbit/s broadband service available to at least 50 per cent of the population,
• at least 40 Mbit/s available to at least a further 20 per cent, and
• a minimum of 30 Mbit/s available to everyone, no matter how rural or remote.

Founded in 1996, the Internet Neutral Exchange (INEX) is an industry-owned association that provides IP peering and traffic exchange for its members in Ireland. The INEX switching centres are located in four secure data centres in Dublin: TeleCity Group in Kilcarbery Park, Dublin 22 & TeleCity Group in Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24 and Interxion DUB1, and Interxion DUB2 in Park West. The switches are connected by dedicated resilient fibre links. In March 2013 it listed 57 full and 18 associate members.

Established in 1998, the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland (ISPAI) listed 24 Internet access and hosting providers as members in 2012.