This is the CSO’s fifth report on information society statistics. It brings together a range of statistics from CSO surveys on ICT usage by households and businesses; statistics compiled by ComReg along with international comparisons compiled by Eurostat.
Connecting to the Internet
- In the first quarter of 2007, almost 31% of all households had a broadband connection to the internet. This compares to 13% of households having a broadband connection to the internet in the same period of 2006.
- In total, 57% of all households had access to the internet in the first quarter of 2007. Of those households with internet access in the period, 54% had a broadband connection compared to an EU27 average of 77%.
- Almost 15% of households in the Border, Midland and Western region had a broadband connection in the first quarter of 2007, compared to 37% of households in the Southern and Eastern region.
- Broadband usage for enterprises was 68% in 2007, compared to 61% in 2006. The EU27 average for 2007 was 77%.
Use of ICT by Households
- Over 65% (998,000) of households had a home computer in the first quarter of 2007, of which 87% were connected to the internet.
- Over 68% of households in the Southern and Eastern region owned a computer, of which 88% were connected to the internet. In the Border, Midland and Western region, over 58% of households owned a computer, of which 82% were connected to the internet.
- The most common purchases on the internet in 2007 were Travel and holiday accommodation and Tickets for events.
Use of ICT by Enterprises
- In 2007, virtually all enterprises in the manufacturing, construction and services sectors used a computer and had access to email and the internet while 64% of enterprises had a website or homepage.
- Virus checkers or protection software were used by 91% of enterprises in 2007. Firewalls were used by 81% of enterprises while 46% of enterprises indicated that they backed up data offsite.
- In 2007, 55% of enterprises made some purchases using e-Commerce (internet or EDI purchases), while 27% of enterprises had e-Commerce sales.
Telecommunications in Ireland
- Total revenue in the Telecommunications and Broadcasting sectors increased from €3.9 billion in 2005 to almost €4.3 billion in 2006, an increase of over 9%.
- The mobile penetration rate continued to increase and was 114% in the second quarter of 2007 compared to 103% in the same period of 2006.
- Almost 1,060 SMS messages were sent per head of population in Ireland in 2007. This is amongst the highest rates in the EU.
The ICT Sector in Ireland
- Over 82,700 people were employed in the ICT sector in 2005, representing 9% of total employment in the industrial and services sectors.
- Turnover in the ICT sector increased from €53.1 billion to €63.3 billion between 2004 and 2005, an increase of 19%. Gross value added in the sector also increased, from €14.7 billion in 2004 to €19 billion in 2005, an increase of 29%.
- Foreign owned enterprises represented 7% of all ICT enterprises in Ireland in 2005, but accounted for 59% of the total employment and 86% of turnover in the sector.
Information Society and Telecommunications 2007 is available on the CSO website (www.cso.ie)
For copies of the publication contact:
The Central Statistics Office, Information Section, Skehard Road, Cork
or
Government Publications Sale Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2.
Price: €10
For further information:
Brian Ring (021) 453 5747, Ray Ryan at (021) 453 5521 or James Barrett (021) 453 5350.
31 March 2008
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