This week the European Commission released a report on digital progress in the EU, with significant points raised for broadband use and accessibility in Ireland.
The report highlights that more progress is needed on increasing digital skills; in 2015 only 44% of the Irish population have sufficient digital skills to operate effectively online, compared to 55% of the EU average.
The report continues;‘Just over two thirds of EU households have Internet access at home (67%) – a slight increase since 2014, however prices for fixed broadband in Ireland are however almost double the EU average, when measured as a proportion of income, and remain unchanged since last year.’
‘While 96% of the Irish households are covered by fixed broadband this is somewhat below the EU average. However take-up is only at 65% of households; as such, Ireland ranks 20th in the EU on both these indicators.’
22% of European homes subscribe to fast broadband access of at least 30 Mbps, more than seven times higher than in 2010. Belgium, the Netherlands and Malta are the leaders in Europe in fast broadband take-up, while Croatia, Greece, Italy and Cyprus are at the bottom of the list.
The most popular online activities amongst Irish internet users are VoD (Video on Demand, 68%), Social Networking (66%), online shopping (63%) and online Banking (64%).
On a more positive note the report highlights how e-commerce has driven Irish business; ‘Irish SMEs have taken to eCommerce relatively more readily than those in most other EU countries. 32% of Irish SMEs sell online, significantly above the average for the EU of 26%. 19% of their turnover comes from this source. On average in the EU it is 17%. 16% of Irish SMEs sell cross-border.’
Source: www.businessworld.ie
