Broadband choices and options in Ireland (Updated Oct 2009)

This post is seriously out of date and will not be updated anymore.

Eircom Home Packages

Free connection and free wireless modem.

Eircom Broadband Home Starter
Speed: 1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 10GB
Price: €25.09 per month

Eircom Broadband Home Plus
Speed: 3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 30GB
Price: €30.11 per month

Eircom Broadband Home Advanced
Speed: 7Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: 24 : 1
Download Cap: 50GB
Price: €39.99 per month

Eircom Business

Eircom 1MB Business Lite
Speed: 1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 10GB
Price: €20.65 per month (exc.VAT)

Eircom Business 1Mb Business Time
(20 hours of broadband a month)
Speed: 1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €16.52 per month (exc.VAT)

Eircom Business Lite Plus
Speed:
3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 30GB
Price: €24.79 per month (exc VAT)

Eircom Business Starter
Speed:
7.6 Mb download/672Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €40 per month (ex VAT)

Eircom Business Plus
Speed:
12Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: 24 : 1
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €65 per month (ex VAT)

Eircom Business Enhanced
Speed:
12Mb download/2Mb upload
Contention: 24 : 1
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €99 per month (ex VAT)

Eircom Business Advanced
Speed:
24Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: 24: 1
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €99 per month (ex VAT)

Eircom Mobile Broadband

Eircom Mobile Broadband for Business
Speed:
7.2Mb download/ 2Mb upload
Contention: 24 : 1
Download Cap: 10GB
Price: €16.45 per month (ex VAT)

Perlico Broadband

To sign up to Perlico Broadband, it’s a requirement to switch home phone service over to Perlico. Free connection but a wireless modem costs €49.99.

Broadband with Home Phone Value
Speed:
1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 24GB
Price: €42.34 per month, inc. VAT.

Broadband with Free Talk Anytime
Speed:
1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 36GB
Price: €48.98 per month, inc VAT

Broadband Plus with Home Phone Value
Speed:
3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 30GB
Price: €50.34 per month, inc VAT

Broadband Plus with Free Talk Anytime
Speed:
3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 30GB
Price: €56.98 per month, inc VAT

Perlico Mobile Broadband with a Vodafone Dongle (See Vodafone)

Smart Telecom Broadband Only

No connection fee, free wifi modem for all online orders, price includes line rental.

Home Value 2Mb
Speed:
2Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €8.50 per month

Home Value 5Mb
Speed:
5Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €16.50 per month

Home Complete 7Mb
Speed: 7Mb download/512Kb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €21.50 per month

Home Complete 9Mb
Speed:
9Mb download/512Kb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €26.50 per month

Home Pro 12Mb
Speed:
12Mb download/640 Kb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €36.50 per month

Home Pro 24Mb
Speed:
24Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €46.50 per month

Smart Business Broadband

Business 24Mb for 24
Speed:
24Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €24.00 per month (WiFi is optional)

Magnet Business Broadband Basic (ADSL+2)

€165 connection fee. Line rental extra at €15 a month ex vat.

Speed: 1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €29.00 per month

Speed: 3Mb download/382Kb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €33.00 per month

Speed: 7.6Mb download/672Kb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €45.00 per month

Speed: 12Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €69.00 per month

Speed: 24Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €105.00 per month

Magnet Business Broadband (ADSL+2)

Speed: 8Mb download/512Kb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €45.00 per month

Speed: 10Mb download/768Kb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €75.00 per month

Speed: 12Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €115.00 per month

Speed: 15Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €150.00 per month

Magnet Business Broadband Premium (SHDSL)
Speed:
2Mb download/2Mb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €450.00 per month

Speed: 4Mb download/4Mb upload
Contention: None
Download Cap: None
Price: €700.00 per month

Wireless Products

DigiWeb DSL Broadband
(Digiweb Business Broadband is further down)
Activation Fee of €49.95.

DSL Lite
Speed: 1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention: 10GB
Download Cap: 48 : 1
Price: €24.95 per month

DSL
Speed:
3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: 36 : 1
Download Cap: 20GB
Price: €29.95 per month

DSL Xtra
Speed:
7.6Mb download/672Kb upload
Contention: 36 : 1
Download Cap: 40GB
Price: €39.95 per month

DSL Pro
Speed:
10Mb download/832Kb upload
Contention: 24 : 1
Download Cap: 60GB
Price: €59.95 per month

Digiweb Metro Broadband
Installation Fee of €99.

Metro Value
Speed: 5Mb download/512Kb upload
Contention: 36 : 1
Download Cap: 20GB
Price: €34.95 per month

Metro Home
Speed: 8Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: 36 :1
Download Cap: 30GB
Price: €39.95 per month

Metro Xtra
Speed: 12Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: 36 : 1
Download Cap: 50GB
Price: €59.95 per month

DigiWeb Homewave Broadband

(Only applies to new customers and includes a free 4-Port Hub.)

Speed: 1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention: 36 : 1
Download Cap: 12GB
Equipment: €199.00
Installation:
€49.95
Price:
€19.99 per month

BizWave Broadband
Speed:
1Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:
18 : 1
Download Cap:
20GB
Equipment: €199.00
Installation:
€49.95
Price:
€29.95 per month

DigiWeb Satellite Broadband

No phone line needed and 89cm antenna is required to be installed on the roof.

Tooway Value
Speed:
3.6Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention:
30 : 1
Available Traffic:
2.4GB
Equipment:
€340.00
Installation:
249.00
Price: 34.99 per month

Tooway Plus
Speed:
3.6Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention:
30 : 1
Available Traffic:
4GB
Equipment:
€340.00
Installation:
€249.00
Price:
€59.99 per month

Tooway Extra
Speed:
3.6Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention:
30 : 1
Available Traffic:
6GB
Equipment:
€340.00
Installation:
€249.00
Price:
€79.99 per month

Tooway Pro
Speed:
3.6Mb download/ 384Kb upload
Contention:
30 : 1
Available Traffic:
12GB
Equipment:
€340.00
Installation:
€249.00
Price:
€132.99 per month

Digiweb Business DSL Broadband
(Free four port wireless router)

DSL
Speed: 3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap: 20GB
Price: €24.95 per month

DSL Xtra
Speed: 7.6Mb download/672Kb upload
Contention: 12 : 1
Download Cap: 40GB
Price:€36.95 per month

DSL Pro
Speed: 12Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: 12 : 1
Download Cap: 70GB
Price: €59.95 per month

DSL Pro Plus
Speed: 12Mb download/2Mb upload
Contention: 12 : 1
Download Cap: Unlimited
Price: €94.95 per month

DSL 24MB
Speed:
24Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention:
12 : 1
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Price:
€94.95 per month

Business Metro Broadband

Business Starter
Speed: 4Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention:
18 : 1
Download Cap:
40GB
Price:
€35.95 per month
Installation: €129

Business Go
Speed: 6Mb download/1.5 upload
Contention:
18 : 1
Download Cap:
80GB
Price: €54.95 per month

Business Office
Speed: 8Mb download/2Mb upload
Contention:
18 : 1
Download Cap:
100 GB
Price:
€89.00 per month
Installation: €129

Business Extra
Speed: 10Mb download/ 2.5Mb upload
Contention:
18 : 1
Download Cap:
120GB
Price:
€149.00 per month

Business Enterprise
Speed: 12Mb download/3Mb upload
Contention:
18 : 1
Download Cap:
160GB
Price:
€165 per month
Installation: €129

Business Metro Pro Broadband

Metro Pro 2

Speed: 2Mb download/2 Mb upload
Contention:
6 : 1
Download Cap:
120GB
Price:
€195 per month
Installation: €249

Metro Pro 3
Speed: 3Mb download/3Mb upload
Contention:
6 : 1
Download Cap:
140GB
Price:
€260 per month
Installation: €249

Metro Pro 6

Speed: 6Mb download/6Mb upload
Contention:
6 : 1
Download Cap:
160GB
Price:
€495 per month
Installation: €1,485

Metro Pro 8

Speed: 8Mb download/ 8Mb upload
Contention: 6 : 1
Download Cap: 180GB
Price: €675 per month
Installation: €1,485

Metro Pro 10

Speed: 10Mb download/10Mb upload
Contention:
6 : 1
Download Cap:
200GB
Price:
€845 per month
Installation: €1,485

Wireless Bizwave Broadband

Bizwave
Speed:
1Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:
18 : 1
Download Cap:
20GB
Price:
€39.00 per month
Installation:
€129.00

Enhanced
Speed: 1Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:
18 : 1
Download Cap:
40GB
Price:
€69.99 per month
Installation: €129.00

Enterprise
Speed: 2Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention: 10 : 1
Download Cap:
60GB
Price:
€129.99 per month
Installation: €129.00

Business Mobile Broadband

Multi
Speed: 5.3Mb download/ 1.5 upload
Contention:
Unstated
Download Cap:
15GB
Telephone: No
Price:
€24.75 per month
Installation: €99

Multi + Talk
Speed: 5.3Mb download/ 1.5 upload
Contention:
Unstated
Download Cap:
20GB
Telephone: Yes
Price: €28.99 per month
Installation: €99

Satellite Business Broadband

No phone line needed and 89cm antennae needs to be installed on the roof.

Tooway Value
Speed: 3.6Mb download/ 384Mb upload
Contention:
30 : 1
Download Cap:
2.4GB
Price:
€29 per month
Equipment: €280
Installation: €220

Tooway Plus
Speed: 3.6Mb download/ 384Kb upload
Contention:
30 : 1
Download Cap:
4GB
Price:
€49 per month
Equipment: €280
Installation: €240

Tooway Extra
Speed: 3.6Mb download/ 384Kb upload
Contention:
30 : 1
Download Cap:
6GB
Price:
€65 per month
Equipment:€280
Installation: €220

Tooway Pro
Speed: 3.6Mb download/ 384 upload
Contention:
30 : 1
Download Cap:
12GB
Price:
€109 per month
Equipment: €280
Installation: €220

Clearwire Broadband

ClearStart
Speed:
512Kb download/128Kb upload
Contention:
10 :1
Download Cap:
Unlimited (subject to fair usage)
Price:
€24.95 per month

ClearFreedom
Speed:
1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention:
10 : 1
Download Cap:
Unlimited (subject to fair usage)
Price:
€29.95 per month

ClearPerformer
Speed:
2Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention:
10 : 1
Download Cap:
Unlimited (subject to fair usage)
Price:
€39.95 per month

ClearBusiness
Speed:
2.5Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:
10 : 1
Download Cap:
Unlimited (subject to fair usage)
Installation:
€99.00
Price:
€79.99 per month

Irish Broadband (Broadband in a box, no phone line required)

Ripwave 1Mb
Speed:
1Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:
40 : 1
Download Cap:
10GB
Activation Fee:
€37.65
Price:
€19.03 per month

Ripwave 2Mb
Speed:
2Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:
40 : 1
Download Cap:
10GB
Activation Fee:
€37.65
Price:
€27.06 per month

Go!
Speed:
512Kb download/128Kb upload
Contention:
40 : 1
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Activation Fee:
€37.65
Price:
€19.03 per month

Go! Plus
Speed:
1Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:
40 : 1
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Activation Fee:
€37.65
Price:
€27.06 per month

Irish Broadband Fixed Wireless

Breeze 4Mb
Speed:
4Mb download/4Mb upload
Contention:
24 : 1
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Activation Fee:
€100.00
Price:
€55.00 per month

Irish Broadband DSL

(Phone line required. No activation fee.)

imagine up to 1Mb
Speed:
1Mb download/128Kb upload
Contention:
48 : 1
Download Cap:
10GB
Price:
€15.06 per month

imagine up to 3Mb
Speed:
3Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:
48 : 1
Download Cap:
20GB
Price:
€25.10

imagine up to 7.8Mb
Speed:
7.6 Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention:
12 : 1
Download Cap:
30GB
Price:
€35.14

3 Wireless

3 Prepay Mobile Broadband

Charges:
Day Access (500Mb) €5
Week Access (2GB) €10
Month Access (10GB) €25
Out of Bundle Charging, per MB is 49c.

Huawei E160G Modem

Speed: 3.6 Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
15GB
Price:
Pay As You Go
Modem price:
€69.00
Contract: None

Huawei E1550

Speed: 3.6 Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
15GB
Price:
Pay As You Go
Modem price:
€69.00
Contract: None

3 Pay Monthly Broadband

Huawei E1550

Speed: 3.6 Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
15GB
Price:
€19.99 per month
Modem price:
€9 on 12 month contract. Free on 18 month contract.
Contract: 12 month/18 month

Huawei E1750

Speed: 7.2 Mb download/2Mb upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
15GB
Price:
€19.99 per month
Modem price:
€49
Contract: 12 month

Meteor Mobile Broadband

Bill Pay

Speed: Up to 7.2 Mb
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
5GB
Price:
€16.99 per month
Modem price:
€29.00
Contract:
12 months

Meteor Broadband To Go

Day Pass is the default setting and costs €2.99 per day, 500Mb allowance.
30 Day Pass costs €19.99, 5GB allowance.
A penalty of 2c per Mb over limit is incurred for both options.

Speed: Up to 7.2 Mb
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
Stated above
Price:
Prepay
Modem price:
€39.00 (online promotional price until 31/12/09)
Contract:
No Contract

Refurbished To Go Device

Speed: Up to 7.2 Mb
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
Stated above
Price:
Prepay
Modem price:
€29.00
Contract:
No Contract

Vodafone Broadband Pay Monthly

Free Modem

Speed: Up to 7.2Mb download/ Up to 384Kb upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
10GB
Price:
€19.99 per month
Modem price:
Free
Contract:
12 months

Pay As You Use Mobile Broadband

Speed: 7.2 download/384Kb upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
500Mb per day
Price:
€5.00 on days that modem is used
Modem price:
€79.00
Contract:
No Contract

Vodafone Home Broadband Only

Free connection and free wireless modem.

Speed: 3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download cap:
40GB
Price:
€40.00 per month

Speed: 7Mb download/672Kb upload

Contention: 24 : 1
Download cap:
60GB
Price:
€49.00 per month

O2 Bill-pay Mobile Broadband

(Plans to launch pre-pay broadband)

Sierra Compass 888 Modem

Speed: Up to 7.2Mb download/Up to 5.2 Mb upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
10GB
Price:
€19.99 per month
Modem price:
€69.00
Contract:
18 months

Speed: Up to 7.2Mb download/Up to 5.2 upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
7.5GB
Price: €25.00 per month
Modem price:
€79.00
Contract:
12 months

Speed: Up to 7.2Mb download/Up to 5.2 upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
5GB
Price:
€30.00
Modem price:
€119.00
Contract:
30 days

(Refurbished Compass 888 modems have the same contracts but are priced €49, €59 and €99 respectively.)

Huawei E1750

Speed: Up to 7.2Mb download/Up to 384Kb upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
10GB
Price:
€19.99 per month
Modem price:
€59.00
Contract:
18 months

Speed: Up to 7.2Mb download/Up to 384Kb upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
7.5GB
Price:
€25.00 per month
Modem price:
€79.00
Contract:
12 months

Speed: Up to 7.2Mb download/Up to 384Kb upload
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
5GB
Price:
€30.00 per month
Modem price:
€129.00
Contract:
30 days

(Refurbished E220 modems have the same contracts and modems cost €39, €39 and €89 respectively.)

O2 Business Broadband

No connection fee.

Speed: 3Mb download/ upload unknown
Contention: Unknown
Download cap: Unlimited
Price: €25 for three months, €50 thereafter, exc.VAT

Speed: 7.6Mb download/384Kb download
Contention: Unknown
Download cap: Unlimited
Price: €35 for 3 months then €70 thereafter, exc.VAT

O2 Student Mobile Broadband

Speed: Up to 7.2Mb
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
5GB
Price:
€12.99 per month
Modem price:
€19.99
Contract:
12 months

Speed: Up to 7.2Mb
Contention:
Unknown
Download cap:
10GB
Price:
€9.99 per month
Modem price:
€19.99
Contract:
12 months

NTL

No connection fee. Wireless Router costs €49.99

1Mb Broadband Basic and Phone
Speed:
1Mb download/128Kb upload
Download Cap:
10GB
Price:
€24.99 per month
Wireless Router: €49.99

3Mb Broadband Value
Speed:
3Mb download/256Kb upload
Download Cap:
30GB
Price:
€22.00 per month
Wireless Router: €49.99

10Mb Broadband Express
Speed:
10Mb download/1Mb upload
Download Cap:
Unlimited (subject to fair usage)
Price:
€32.00 per month
Wireless Router: Free

20Mb Broadband Ultra
Speed:
20Mb download/1.5Mb upload
Download Cap:
Unlimited (subject to fair usage)
Price:
€42.00 per month
Wireless Router: Free

NTL Student Broadband

Last three months of contract is free.

3Mb Broadband Value
Speed:
3Mb download/256Kb upload
Download Cap:
30GB
Price:
€28.00 per month
Wireless Router: €49.99

10Mb Broadband Express
Speed:
10Mb download/1Mb upload
Download Cap:
Unlimited (subject to fair usage)
Price:
€38.00 per month
Wireless Router: Free

20Mb Broadband Ultra
Speed:
20Mb download/1.5Mb upload
Download Cap:
Unlimited (subject to fair usage)
Price:
€48.00 per month
Wireless Router: Free

Ice Broadband

No phone line required.

Home Broadband
Speed:
3Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention:
36 : 1
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Installation:
€99.00 (waived for a 24 month contract)
Price:
€37.99 per month

So-Ho Broadband
Speed:
4Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention:
20 : 1
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Installation:
€99.00 (waived for a 24 month contract)
Price:
€59.99 per month

Gaming Broadband
Speed:
4Mb download/2Mb upload
Contention:
20 : 1
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Installation:
€99.00 (waived for a 24 month contract)
Price:
€69.99 per month

Business Broadband
Speed:
5Mb download/3Mb upload
Contention:
20 : 1
Installation:
€149.00 (exc VAT)
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Price:
€89.00 per month (exc VAT)

Corporate Broadband
Speed:
6Mb download/4Mb upload
Contention:
12 : 1
Installation:
€149.00 (exc VAT)
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Price:
€135.00 per month

Pure Telecom

Wireless Products

Engineer installation is €149.99.

Home Office
Speed:
1Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention: 48 : 1
Download Cap:
Unstated
Price:
€29.74 per month exc.VAT

Business
Speed: 2Mb download/2Mb upload
Contention: 24 : 1
Download Cap: Unstated
Price: €40.00 per month exc.VAT

Business Plus
Speed: 3Mb download/3Mb upload
Contention: 24 : 1
Download Cap:
Unstated
Price: €79.00 per month exc.VAT

Corporate
Speed:
4Mb download/4Mb upload
Contention:
24 : 1
Download Cap:
Unstated
Price:
€159 per month exc.VAT

Uncontended

Speed: 512Kb
Price: €470 per month exc.VAT

Speed: 1Mb
Price: €690 per month exc.VAT

Speed: 2Mb
Price: €1,085 per month exc.VAT

Pure Telecom Business Broadband

DSL

(On site Engineer Installation €165.00. Postage and packaging of modems and routers €8.00)

ADSL 3Mb
Speed:
3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention:
48 : 1
Download Cap:
Unknown
Price:
€29.99 per month (exc VAT)

ADSL 7.6 Mb
Speed:
7.6 Mb download/672Kb upload
Contention:
24 : 1
Download Cap:
Unknown
Price:
€40.00 per month (exc VAT)

ADSL 10Mb
Speed:
10Mb download/832Kb upload
Contention:
24 : 1
Download Cap:
Unknown
Price:
€175.00 per month (exc VAT)

ADSL+2

(On site Engineer Installation €165.00)

ADSL+2 3Mb
Speed:
3Mb download/384Kb upload
Contention:
No Contention
Download Cap:
Unknown
Price:
€29.00 (exc VAT)

ADSL+2 8Mb
Speed:
8Mb download/512Kb upload
Contention:
No Contention
Download Cap:
Unknown
Price:
€45.00 (exc VAT)

ADSL+2 10Mb
Speed:
10Mb download/884Kb upload
Contention:
No Contention
Download Cap:
Unknown
Price:
€75.00 (exc VAT)

ADSL+2 12Mb
Speed:
12Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention:
No Contention
Download Cap:
Unknown
Price:
€115.00 (exc VAT)

ADSL+2 15Mb
Speed:
15Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention:
No Contention
Download Cap:
Unknown
Price:
€150.00 (exc VAT)

Pure Telecom SDSL Broadband

On-site installation by an Engineer €450.

SDSL 2Mb
Speed:
2Mb download/2Mb upload
Contention:
No Contention
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Price:
€450.00 (exc VAT)

SDSL 4Mb
Speed:
4Mb download/4Mb upload
Contention:
No Contention
Download Cap:
Unlimited
Price:
€700.00 (exc VAT)

Permanet Home Broadband

Home
Speed: 1Mb download/256Kb upload
Contention:
20 : 1
Download Cap:
10GB
Price:
€23.99 per month
Installation Fee: €145.00

Home Plus
Speed: 2Mb download/512Kb upload
Contention:
20 : 1
Download Cap:
20GB
Price:
€34.99 per month
Installation Fee: €145

Home Express
Speed: 3Mb download/512Kb upload
Contention:
20 : 1
Download Cap:
30GB
Price:
€44.99 per month
Installation Fee: €145

Permanet Business Broadband

Biz Silver
Speed: 2Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention:
15 : 1
Download Cap:
20GB
Price:
€34.99 per month, exc.VAT
Installation Fee: €119.34, exc.VAT

Biz Gold
Speed: 3Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention:
15 : 1
Download Cap:
30GB
Price:
€41.14 per month, exc.VAT
Installation Fee: €119.34, exc.VAT

Biz Platinum
Speed: 4Mb download/1Mb upload
Contention:
15 : 1
Download Cap:
40GB
Price:
€49.37 per month, exc.VAT
Installation Fee: €119.34, exc.VAT

290 Responses to “Broadband choices and options in Ireland (Updated Oct 2009)”

  1. Peter says:

    Mobile Broadband?

    Nice work Damien, if you get the time perhaps you could comment on the new Vodafone, 3, O2 HSPDA and Irish Broadband ‘Go’ cards for *mobile* broadband…
    am thinking of only getting that kind of broadband (as a new development, it’s a bit like only using mobile phones instead of fixed line phones)
    – perhaps handy for people who aren’t sure of staying in the same living locations for 12 month contracts?

  2. Treasa says:

    Vodafone wrote to me to try and sell me their broadband product. Whilst I’m attracted by the lack of need for a landline and all that I think that their offer is more expensive and less speedy than what I currently cough up a fortune to Eircom for.

    As Eircom’s broadband (currently) works for me…I’m in no mood to change to something more expensive and less speedy for the moment. I may reconsider in six months time when I have to move house.

  3. mick j says:

    Thanks for all the info, good stuff.

  4. perlerousse says:

    just got this today from Magnet;

    “Our Starter package – 2Mb for €15 + line rental €24 – is still available & will be available till the end of February 2007 because from the 1st of March our broadband will be available only for Business Customers.”

  5. Richard says:

    Niamh,
    Had Irish broadband ripwave in Cork and they were absolutely cat. Never worked properly altough I was situated comfortably inside there transmittors range

  6. goo says:

    i was to lazy to read all comment but some of u might be interested in one more provider which gives service in northen area: http://www.net1.ie/coveragemap.html
    But u might need to wait for installation cause there only few people workin’ on it.
    Once u got it it’s allright. I had no problems with them.
    so http://www.net1.ie

  7. Texan IT says:

    Damian,
    Nice work my friend. I really like your blog. It is really informative on broadband and dsl terminology. Perhaps I could talk you into plugging my site at sometime at Texan IT – DFW Website Design | DFW Computer Networking. You do a great job!

    Signed,
    Texan IT – Computer Networking Guy

  8. John Egan says:

    Hi,

    I’m trying to get wireless broadband in Dublin, but I dont want to be tied down to a contract becuase i’ll be moving in a few months. I was thinking of the vodafone wireless modem, anyone have any recomendations or ideas,thanks,great blog!

  9. Seamus says:

    Just after signing up for IrishBroadband’s wireless 2Mb “Breeze”.
    Am near Moycullen, Co. Galway.
    Has anybody had any recent experiences?
    Cheers

  10. Eamonn Leahy says:

    Have you heard of a new provider in Cork, amcom they call themselves, are they fly-bys or are they genuine…. They claim no download/upload limits apply..

  11. cesar says:

    Any positive or negtive experiences with imagine / imag!ne? Their packages seem attractive at first glance. Are they new to the market?

  12. Gerard says:

    Hi. great article. Thanks. Was thinking of going with Digiweb but was wondering what others think of them. Is the wireless service good. They look for year payment in advance and I’m worried about doing that and then getting stuck with a bad service provider. All opinions are welcome.

  13. DB says:

    Hi Damien,

    Am planning to get broadband but bambuzzled with all the info. Came across this site on the net. Liked the list but still not able to make a choice.

    Am a technophobe so don’t undertsand the jargon but need reliable broadband with landline at home. Am currently with Eircom for my landline but want to investigate what is out there. As I’m usually out at work during the day I was looking at an ‘evening & weekend landine with always on 2MB broadband’ bundle from BT or Eircom. I ring friends in UK so BT looked good value as they include UK calls in their free list but Eircom don’t.

    However, reliability is really important as I won’t know what’s wrong if things don’t work! Looks like some of the contributors to this list weren’t very happy with their BB choices and I recall Smart Telecom had some operational problems last year.

    Would be delighted with some advice / guidance before I sign my hard earned cash away…..

    Thanks,
    D

  14. Cathy says:

    UTV have several Broadband packages, they also have a phone deal with it.
    Free evening and week-end calls provided not more than 60 minutes long, you can hang up and call same number and talk for another 60 minutes immediately after.
    These free calls can be land-lines in Ireland or UK.
    I use this and call England regularly.

  15. Niamh says:

    i ordderd IRISH BROADBAND 2 months ago & they never delivered, even after i rang them twice, they still took my money from my visa, even after loadsa emails & letter they havent refunded my money….wouldnt remcomend them.

  16. Conor says:

    Great site Damien. With all this interest in and discussion of download speeds, I have one technophobe question – is it really relevant for a customer who, for example, just uses the web for emailing, chatting, reading newspapers, ebay etc. Would Irish Broadband or Clearwire’s 512 packages be enough for such a customer? Is download speed only really relevant for downloading movies etc – or at peak times, is 512 going to mean that even waiting for the next page of the paper to load is going to be slow?

    Thanks a million.

  17. Nick says:

    I’ve had Magnet supply my broadband, tv and telephone for the last 5 months. I would strongly advise that nobody use their service. The whole service seems to die for prolonged periods on an almost daily basis. The television freezes whenever I open my front door and then has to be reset. The charges are all quoted excluding VAT, so don’t forget to add on an extra 21% when you’re looking at them. While they claim to have a 24/7 helpline, if you call outside office hours it acts only as an answering service. ”I’m sorry I can’t help with your problem as I have no technical knowledge of the systems, but I’ll get someone to call you back tomorrow/next week”.
    They do appear at first to be super value for what they provide, but I have been disappointed over and over again.

  18. Paul Vince says:

    Hi Damien, great list all the info you could want. Quick question please – just bought an apartment in Ongar, a BROADWORKS connection is already installed there – how do you rate these guys please?

  19. Eugene Malone says:

    Damien, I’vegot eircom 150 have had no problems. I’m not very experienced with Internet but I have been offered what seems a very good deal by CROSS COUNTRY BROADBAND what do tou know of this system thanks in advance

  20. Hi Damien

    I thought you might be interested to hear the responses of the political parties to the question about their specific policies re. broadband at this morning’s Dublin Chamber of Commerce event.

    It’s on my blog: http://www.brightspark-consulting.com/latest_blog

  21. Cathal Garvey says:

    Hi Damien,

    Thanks for all the useful info. Are you still answering on this site? The last reply seems to have been on Jan 14th.

    I’ve decided to go for either Eircom or BT Broadband but am torn between the two. Apart from the normal stuff I want to be able to download video clips from sites such as YouTube quickly and without any hassle. Both companies have told me I’m compatible and have bombarded me with offers. BT offer a 2 meg download with free Irish and UK landline calls for 54 EURO a month but this still seems a little expensive.

    What do you think?

    Cathal

  22. Peter Q says:

    Have had Irishbroadband(Ripwave) for over a year now,the speeds are truly brutal and one the reasons for this is alot of IBB’rs use those P2P file downloading torrents and leave em on 24/7. Slows whole network down.

    Also if your stuck with IBB (like myself)than ONSPEED is fairly decent way to slightly improve your connection..roughly doubled my own.

    Peter

  23. Seamus says:

    Do not go with BT, I have been totally messed about and lied to by them. I had to wait 8 weeks and endless phone calls to get them (via eircom) to install a phone line. I live in Dublin city center both my neighbours have broadband yet BT told me yesterday that I can’t get broadband on my phone line – no proper explanation just lies and more lies, I am very angry.

    It seems depending on the donut you talk to at BT, that my phone line was connected to an unenabled exchange, nobody seemed to think that this was totally ridiculous, instead I got spun the line “It’s not us It’s Eircom who own the phone lines”.

    So Tuff- I live in Dublin city center, everybody in my apartment block has broadband yet because an eircom engineer decided to connect me to the wrong exchange, I may as well be living in 1995.

    Why can’t BT insist (by contract) that when eircom install phone lines that they connect the lines to exchanges that are enabled/able to handle broadband?.

    It’s a bit like my neigbours having piped water and me cos I’m connected to the wrong resevoir getting thick sludge!

    Gombeenism is alive and kicking

    God help any politicans who come near my door!

  24. Dónall says:

    I’ll be moving back to Ireland soon and I’m looking for a semi-decent broadband provider, so thanks for the comprehensive list… But it’s kind of depressing to see that all the available options are shit.
    At the moment, I’m in Barcelona and I have a package which includes 20Mb connection, line rental, free national calls, and no download cap (what’s the point of having broadband with a cap???). It costs 40 per month and there is no installation fee, and it comes with a wireless router. This is not an extraordinary service in Spain. In fact, there are at least 2 other companies who offer similar value (some also throw in TV over IP). So why is Ireland so incredibly, inexplicably shit? I know people in third world nations who have better broadband than a lot of the Irish options!

  25. Yvonne says:

    Hi, I am moving to East Clare shortly from London (8mb bb for £15 per month – no limits). Will be living 5 miles from an enabled exchange but cannot get broadband from it. Also there are no wireless providers in the area. I work from home so need broadband urgently. If I order a phoneline from Eircom, can they ensure that it is capable of picking up the signal from the exchange? Otherwise, it seems satellite is the only option, but the prices are ridiculous. Any suggestions?

  26. Steve Whittingham says:

    Hi Damien

    Recently moved over to West Cork from the UK, so looking through this site and info is a great help, thanks. Eircom have told me that my phone line is not useable for broadband as it is ‘too far’ from the exchange and I’m struggling to find a realistically priced alternative. Can you or anyone else reading this, point me in the direction of an ISP who covers the Waterfall/Corran/Crossbarry area. It’s hard to understand why I’m struggling to get broadband where I am, I live no more than 8 miles from Cork City. Why Ireland is so primitive when it comes this type of thing? Anyway, whinge over, I’d be grateful for any advice.

  27. dhomi says:

    Same here,

    I’m moving to Ireland next month, I’m french. I’m a bit disappointed the celtic tiger can’t get proper broadband. France is starting to offer broadband via optical fibre, therefore offering 50Mb down/upload.
    Not that I’d need that, but TV & phone over IP make your bills so much cheaper that you take it for granted…
    I think there’s no point for Ireland trying to catch up on regular broadband, you might as well go for optical fibre.

  28. Michael says:

    Congrats…great site!!

    I live less then 20 miles north of Dublin city and can not get broadband.

    Now that Net1.ie have come into my area I am thinking of joining uo for a year.
    I would be gratefull if you have any ideas/comments that you would like to share regarding this. Thanks again for a great site.
    Michael.

  29. Dympna Brennan says:

    Why are Perlico not mentioned on this site ? are they any good for broadband ?

  30. Dmitri says:

    Hi Damien,
    On of my friends recently recieved a 3500 per month bill, from vodafone, he was downloading movies and didn’t knew about the 5gig limit, which came in only after 15th of january 2007. Is there anybody you know who has a similer
    problem, because I heard a lot of people were billed like that. Any info would be helpful. And if anybody was able to get out of it how did they do it, thanks
    Dmitri

  31. donal says:

    hi Dympa
    Ihad Perlico phone and broadband package last year i would not recommend them to my worst enemy The first problem I had my connection to my phone was lost. these things happen I was promised it would be fixed in 5 working days.14 days later still no phone so i changed back to eircom.I decided to keep my broadband with Perlico because it was cheap I came home from work to day (1-6-2007)no broadband perlico disconnected me.They decided they were not doing anymore broadband on its own.you must get there phone package.They did not send me a letter or did they phone me to warn me.My warning to anyone thinking of joining them DONT Cheap and NASTY UNRELIABLE.I am on dial up tonight.
    Donal

  32. Brian in Swords says:

    Has anybody tried the “3” Huawei E220 data card?
    It is supposed to be identical to the Vodafone 3G Data Card.
    http://www.three.ie charge €129 for the card and €19.99/month.
    Its a 12 month contract.
    Up to 3.6 Gbps, 10 GB limit, 5c/MB out of bundle.

    http://www.three.ie/handsets_new/datacards_e220.htm

    I’ve only spoken to one man today who has it and says its great.

  33. Brian in Swords says:

    Sorry,
    that should be 3.6Mbps, not 3.6Gbps for the “3″ Huawei E220 data card.

  34. David says:

    new one for you https://www.icebroadband.com/ice/Order/OrderReview.php

    they seem like a good company

  35. Bill in Sligo says:

    I am looking for the best broadband connection for a new house with no phone connection installed.
    Can you tell me if I need to get a phone line installed first by Eircom and then I can pick a broadband provider.
    Who give the most reliable service, I have heard BT are good.

    Can you recommend my best option to get the best broadband service in and be able to make landline calls also, have any of you used Blue Face for voip for land line calls

  36. Donal says:

    A few days ago i got Irish Broadbands 3mb wireless connection installed. Its supposed to be both 3mb up and down. But the average down is about 2mb and up is usually 1mb. I live right in the middle of cork city and have a perfectly clear line of sight. Oh, and the ping is about 300 on average.

    Although it does peak at about 2.7mb symmetrically it also falls as low as 3kb/s every now and then.

    Just a word of warning.

  37. Joe says:

    Why is Sky Broadband not available in ireland?

  38. steve says:

    went for the Digiweb metrolite pack.
    After installation i immediatly had broadband and decided to download a few movies.after my 10 Gbs were up broadband speed decreases to almost dialup speed slow slow slow.Why do we have these caps on the amount we can download?is this the same in other countries or are these companies just playing with the Irish consumers again?I want Freedom on my internet not to be held ransom my Nazi Broadband providers.will we ever have a cap free internet here?

  39. aidan says:

    Hi, can anyone advise on whether the NTL provided wi-fi router for €50 is any good or not? What make is it? Is it better to buy/choose your own from an electronics shop. Where is a good spot to buy one? Thanks!

  40. Therese Morgan-Mckenzie says:

    Hi Damien,
    I am delighted I came across your list as we’re trying to decide on who to go with for telephone & broadband package.

    Are you going to upload details about Perlico as I see they’re not mentioned on the list. My parents have it and there don’t seem to be any issues with it. They only have their broadband package.

    Any advice on their level of service for telephone & broadband would be brilliant.
    Thanks,

  41. michelle says:

    I am currently trialing the 3 usb mobile modem (19.99 per month offer) in Dublin 7 area. It’s really slow. Someone told me that the datacard version works in a different way with better results. Any one know about this?

  42. Felipe says:

    Hi, great info, thanks a lot. We have been using Irish Broadband for more than a year now and recently upgraded our Ripwave to the 1MB/256k speeds. I have to say that when it works it is quite good without reaching the spec speeds though; unfortunately several days a week it is painfully slow and even the most basic stuff such as e-mail wouldn’t work. I am currently looking for an option to replace them. The thing is that I don’t want to pay for phone line and don’t want any antennas installed in my rented accommodation, therefore I may try some of the mobile broadbands.

    Does anyone knows the download/upload speed of the new O2 broadband?

    Cheers,
    Felipe

  43. Barry says:

    Does anybody know where to get a detailed schedule of eircom’s upgrading of exchanges?

  44. Damien says:

    There is no schedule released yet. Work was meant to start this month but maybe with a pending strike, this might not happen. The 100 in the list above will be completed by the end of the year, I’ve been assured.

  45. Jean says:

    HI ! Great site…. am thinking of opening a cyber/internet cafe…. any information or contacts would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks !

  46. simon says:

    i got ibb breeze a year ago, i live in scarriff in co. clare, middle of nowhere, original package was 1m up/down. i was regularly getting 150 up and down speeds. just before christmas 2006, they upgraded me to 2mb up/down for free which was nice. now im getting 250 up and down almost all the time. for a while however, my speeds were all messed up, couldnt get it to work at all properly. its fine now, and its because i got rid of vista and put xp back on my pcs. all the time i had vista running, it was crap, but now with xp its brilliant again. i have never had any real problems with ibb, that couldnt be put down to an issue at my end.

    god knows what the other23 people on my contention do, but theyre not interfering with me.

    ibb now have a talk package for a tenner a month which gives you a landline number with free calls to al landlines in ireland and uk, and you can put credit on it to call mobiles international etc. most call rates are the same as skype, or near enough. i can get rid of eircom, and still have the sky multiroom connected to a phoneline. ideal.

    anyway, nice blog, together we can drag ireland out of the iron age.

  47. keith(Carlow) says:

    I agree with Michelle. I’ve just got the 3 usb modem and the signal is terrible. Its very slow. I live in the centre of town so it should be strong shouldn’t it. What’s the deal?

  48. Aisling says:

    Good work, though I wouldn’t go as far as describing 3’s mobile package as broadband. The problem is that they’ve sold so many of the modems that the contention in many places has gone through the roof and it’s as bad (if not worse) than dial-up in the evening time. It works fine during the daytime (presumably when all the reviewing journos were testing it out and writing glowing reviews) but let’s face it, most people go online in the evenings.

  49. Donald says:

    I live for most of the year in Belgium where we have had ADSL Broadband for 7 years or more, we have unlimited up and downloads at a fixed rate so why is it taking so long to reach Ireland. I have just signed up with Vodafone and get a GPRS signal where I live, the speed is desperate I can make a cup of tea while waiting for a website to download. If I drive 2 miles down the road I get a 3G signal which is far better but still slow compared with Belgium.

  50. john (Cork) says:

    Hi Damien – Great resource, and congrats on keeping it up to date in a quickly changing environment – 2 quick questions –

    1. Any idea why vodafone 3G is slower than 3 and O2?
    2. I’m currently on a wireless product from Nova Networks in Cork – why no mention for these guys? the product is great and service is very responsive compared with some of the bigger players