At this stage we shouldn’t really be surprised, but here it is: Ireland is in second last place out of seven countries served by movie-streaming service Netflix in terms of the quality of broadband experienced by the service’s users.
The Netflix ISP Speed Index provides an easy overview of the performance of ISPs in several of the countries where Netflix is available.
Updated on a monthly basis, the site allows for easy comparison of ISPs in a country, as well as international comparisons. At launch, the Netflix ISP Speed Index includes data for the US, Mexico, Ireland, UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
Netflix compiles its ISP Speed Index from more than 33m Netflix users who view about 1bn hours of TV shows and movies on their TVs, PCs, tablet computers, games consoles and smartphones.
Country-by-country comparison
1. At 3.45Mbps, Google Fiber in the US provides the highest average Netflix streaming bitrate.
2. In Sweden, OMNIT provides average streaming bitrates of 2.95Mbps.
3. Finland’s KYMP provides an average streaming bitrate of 2.93Mbps.
4. Denmark’s WAOO provides the highest average streaming bitrate in that country at 2.85Mbps.
5. In Norway, GET provides an average streaming bitrate of 2.67Mbps.
6. In the UK, Virgin provides consumers with the fastest average bitrate speed of 2.43Mbps.
7. In Ireland, Magnet provides the highest average bitrate speed of 2.22Mbps.
8. Lastly, Mexico’s CABLEMAS provides 2.03Mbps of average bitrate speeds.
Ireland
According to Netflix, across the board the average speed enjoyed by consumers is 1.89Mbps, compared with the US, where consumers enjoy bitrate speeds of 2.35Mbps on average, the UK, where consumers enjoy average speeds of 2.24Mbps, and Finland, where consumers enjoy bitrate speeds of 2.6Mbps on average.
Magnet topped the league table in Ireland, with a top bitrate speed of 2.2Mbps, followed by UPC with 1.8Mbps, Digiweb with 1.75Mbps, Eircom with 1.71Mbps, Vodafone with 1.68Mbps and Imagine with 1.56Mbps.
Ireland’s mediocre performance in terms of broadband bitrate speeds is not a surprise to many of us who have been urging the country’s leaders to take broadband infrastructure seriously as a policy issue that impacts employment, equality and exports.
We can only hope that with the eventual arrival of VDSL (fibre-to-the-cabinet) and 4G services in the coming weeks and months, consumers and businesses will be able to enjoy superior services that at the very least will be on a par with the international standard.
