Half of Irish adults with poor broadband access would consider relocating

Pure Telecom today announced the results of a survey, which found that 50% of those who do not have adequate broadband speeds in their area would consider relocating for better and faster service. The research, carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Pure Telecom, surveyed 1,001 online adults across Ireland.

The survey highlights the vital role broadband now plays in Irish people’s lives and the lengths to which people will go to get better access as they spend an increasing amount of time online.

For those who have broadband, three-quarters are happy with their speeds. Some 88% said their home broadband speeds have remained the same or improved in the last 12 months.

Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, said: “The internet plays a massive role in people’s lives, proven by the fact that 50% of people with unsatisfactory access would move somewhere else if they didn’t have acceptable broadband access. Many of the people affected by poor access live in rural Ireland. We need to help our rural communities thrive – not drive them into towns and cities because of internet problems. We hope that the National Broadband Plan will be announced and rolled out quickly so that people can access quality internet services no matter where they live.”

Pure Telecom’s research also uncovered how much time people are spending using their broadband connection at home each week. The average person spends 6 hours, 20 minutes per day using their broadband connection at home – totalling 44 hours, 23 minutes per week. Those aged 16 to 21 typically spend 7 hours, 40 minutes online per day.

Paul Connell commented: “In Pure Telecom, we are seeing a steady increase in the amount of bandwidth people are consuming – caused by an increase in online activities. With the rise of applications like intelligent personal assistants, as well as online streaming and TV viewing, people are spending a significant amount of their time at home online – even downloading content as they sleep in some cases.

“As that trend continues, people are going to need ultra-reliable high speed internet access. At Pure Telecom, we are delivering that by partnering with some of Ireland’s leading wholesale providers, ensuring that where there is a fibre network, we can offer customers the most affordable, fastest internet service in the country.”