IRELAND HAS COME in at number ten in a list of the countries with the fastest average internet connection speeds worldwide.
The study, carried out quarterly by Akami, reports that Ireland has seen the greatest increase in terms of quarterly growth. The increase of 16 per cent has allowed Ireland to make it into the top ten for the first quarter of 2011, forcing Canada down into twelfth place.
Ireland beat out the likes of the UK and the US. South Korea takes the top spot, followed by Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands and Romania.
Ireland’s average connection speed (Mbps) is 5.6, with a peak connection speed of 18.6. Twenty-nine per cent of Irish broadband connections have speeds of above 5 Mbps. This compares to 25 per cent in the UK and 39 per cent in the US.
Ireland does not feature on the top ten countries listed in order of internet penetration however. The United States, China and Japan lead the way there.
The report also showed that more than 40 countries or regions saw average connection speeds increase by ten per cent or more in the first quarter of the year.
The Japanese cities of Tokai, Shimotsuma and Kanagawa are the three fastest cities in the world, according to Reuters, while Lyse in Norwary is Europe’s fastest city.
In May the Minister for Communications announced that broadband access will be extended to cover the whole of Ireland by the end of next year. Pat Rabbitte also announced plans to deliver next generation broadband in Ireland.
Broadband provider UPC announced earlier this month that it’s upgrading almost all of its users to 20mb broadband speeds next month.
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