A survey by consumer lobby group Ireland Offline has found that internet users who move to broadband increase their internet usage significantly.
73% of people who used dial-up internet told the survey they did not switch to broadband because it was not available to them. 18% cited price issues as the reason for not switching.
73% of those who had switched to broadband had more than doubled their time on the internet, and 75% spend more than 20 hours a week online.
Of those on dial-up, 51% said they did not use a flat-rate product, while 56% of those who did use flat-rate packages exceeded their monthly allowance.
Ireland Offline vice-chairman John Timmons said the survey showed that those on dial-up were crying out for broadband and were 'completely frustrated' at not being able to move to it.
On flat-rate packages, Mr Timmons said usage of the current products was not being maximised. He called on Communications Minister Noel Dempsey to issue an updated flat-rate directive to ComReg to introduce a cheaper and full flat-rate product. 'With the lack of progress on broadband we are going to be a dial-up nation until the end of the decade. Genuine flat-rate dial-up may at least soften the blow,' he said.
