Eir consumer and small business MD Susan Brady. Image: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography
A new report by Ookla saw Eir take the top spot in network consistency, followed by Virgin Media and Sky.
A new report by network intelligence company Ookla claims Eir’s fibre network has the most reliable broadband speeds in Ireland.
The assessment gave Eir a consistency score of more than 91pc, making it the only broadband provider in the listing to achieve a score greater than 90pc. Virgin Media came in second with more than 88pc, followed by Sky at more than 85pc.
The data involved samples of network speeds in Ireland taken between 1 April and 30 September this year. Ookla said the consistency score represents the percentage of an operator’s samples that provided an “acceptable level of performance” and was calculated using download and upload thresholds. These thresholds are 25Mbps for downloads and 3Mbps for uploads for fixed internet.
“When an operator provides the highest percentage of speeds above these thresholds, then consumers can expect reliable speed performance from that operator relative to the competition,” Ookla said in a statement.
Susan Brady, Eir’s consumer and small business MD, said the result is a “hugely important validation” of the company’s service.
“Our customers tell us they need fast and reliable broadband speeds to meet the growing demands on connectivity for family life, work and for their businesses,” Brady said. “Eir’s purpose is to connect for a better Ireland by delivering sustained investment in cutting-edge communications technology and extensive network expansion to drive the future of connectivity.”
Eir said it is committed to bringing its fibre broadband to 1.9m premises or 84pc of homes and businesses in Ireland by 2026. Earlier this year, the company brought 5G internet to Kerry’s Black Valley, home to one of Ireland’s most remote communities. And in February, Eir passed the 1m premises milestone for fibre broadband connections.
The company’s second fiscal quarter for 2023 saw a 7pc increase in revenue and an increase in mobile and TV customers, though Eir’s actual broadband customers dropped by 1pc – a total of 13,000 customers.
Last year, an Ookla report claimed Cork had the fastest 5G download and upload speeds in Ireland at the end of 2021. This report also said Eir was the “clear winner” in 5G availability, while Three had the fastest median download speeds.
Three also had the fastest mobile and 5G mobile networks in Ireland earlier this year, according to an Ookla report for Q1 and Q2 2023.
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