A report on how technology is being used in Ireland shows that almost 650,000 homes now have a home computer.
This represents 46% of homes, up from 42% in 2003, according to the latest information soceity report from the Central Statistics Office.
The number of people with internet connections has grown from 463,000 to 537,000 in the last year, while travel and holiday accommodation are the most common internet purchases.
The CSO report also shows that nearly all businesses use computers and have access to e-mail and the internet, while sales using e-commerce account for about a quarter of industrial turnover.
Just over half of all businesses have made some purchases using e-commerce, with the retail and wholesale sectors the most active.
The report finds that 83% of businesses now use virus checking or protection software, but as many as 60% do not keep an offsite back-up of their files. The percentage of businesses with a DSL broadband connection has doubled from 9% to 18% over the past year.
