BUSINESS INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN IRELAND

AVAILABLE SERVICES IN IRELAND

Ireland has one of the largest ICT and related services economies in Europe relative to the size of its GDP. The country’s Internet and mobile communications usage is broadly on a par with the rest of the European Union (EU), yet it has an under-developed residential and business broadband market, with poor levels of DSL and cable modem adoption compared with other European countries. Low penetration is due to high wholesale costs, lack of competition, high retail prices, limited coverage in many non-urban areas, and general low market awareness. The Irish government has set out a strategy to deliver high-speed broadband throughout the country, The government is promoting a National Broadband Plan to guarantee that all premises would receive a service of at least 30Mb/s by 2022, also boosting the adoption of IP-delivered content, including e-government, e-health and e-learning.

DETAILS

Ireland reached a 91.9% Internet penetration rate by the end of 2018. The economic recovery that has prevailed during the last few years has helped to strengthen the Irish telecom market, leaving behind a period in which it was affected by low broadband uptake, reduced investment from operators and low spending among consumers.

TELECOMS MARKET

Vodafone Ireland and 3 Ireland are the dominant players in the mobile market followed at some distance by the incumbent telco, eir, with 17% of the market. A few MVNOs share the rest. Although the number of dedicated mobile broadband subscribers has fallen since 2016, mobile broadband use, supported by extensive LTE networks, remains popular among consumers, particularly thanks to flat-rate data plans.

In recent years, the broadband market has also developed steadily, due to a better investment climate for the main players, as well as by government efforts to facilitate wholesale access. The Commission for Communications Regulation (“ComReg”) is the statutory body responsible for the regulation of the Irish electronic communications sector.

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

Ireland is a small economy that heavenly depends on commerce. GDP growth averaged 6% in 1995-2007, but economic activity dropped sharply during the world financial crisis and the subsequent collapse of its domestic property market and construction industry. In late 2010, Ireland received a $92 billion loan package from the EU and IMF to help recapitalize its banking sector and avoid defaulting on its sovereign debt. Reforms were successful enough to leave the bailout in late 2013. In 2014, the economy rapidly picked up, lowering the deficit to 4.2% of GDP. A fiscally neutral budget, program marking the end of the austerity program. The export sector has become an even more important component of Ireland’s economy. Ireland’s low corporation tax of 12.5% has been central to encouraging business investment.

The Irish economy continued to grow in 2017 and is forecast to do so through 2019, supported by a strong export sector, robust job growth, and low inflation, to the point that the Government must now address concerns about overheating and potential loss of competitiveness. The greatest risks to the economy are the UK’s scheduled departure from the European Union (“Brexit”) in March 2019, possible changes to international taxation policies that could affect Ireland’s revenues, and global trade pressures.

LOCAL PROVIDERS

RELEVANT INTERNET EXCHANGE POINTS

• INEX : Internet Neutral Exchange

DATACENTERS IN IRELAND