Half of adults with poor broadband would consider relocating

Half of adults living in Ireland who do not have adequate broadband speeds in their area would consider relocating for better and faster service. That’s according to research carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Pure Telecom, which 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 while some 88 per cent 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 per cent 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 six 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.

Caption: Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom. Photo credit: John Ohle Photography