Irish Broadband demand report

[blacknight]

Discussion Paper Broadband Demand A Review of Demand in the Irish Broadband MarketJanuary 2006

Some interesting snippets:
"It is estimated that there were approximately a quarter of a million broadband subscribers in Ireland at the end of 2005. This represents growth of almost 120,000 subscribers, or 90%, during 2005. This strong growth is based in both the SME and residential markets.

Therefore, there appears to be substantial demand for broadband services in Ireland, which is in line with or better than the growth experienced in other markets. The current level of take-up is also consistent with the stage of development of the market. The overall broadband market will continue to grow. This should make the market attractive to service providers and encourage investment. "

"Ireland’s low position on various broadband take-up rankings is mainly a reflection of the delay in the launch of competitive broadband services in Ireland compared to most other countries. It does not suggest that there is a lack of demand per se for broadband services by users. The lack of competition between broadband service providers, such as telephone and cable TV companies, and the reduction in investment in the aftermath of the ‘dot-com’ crash, weakened the initial rollout of broadband by service providers in Ireland."

The full paper has some interesting graphs of takup, prices etc., with comparisons to other European countries.