A new report from the OECD shows that Ireland had one of the biggest increases in the number of broadband subscriptions in 2007.
But the country is still near the bottom of the class when it comes to subscription charges and available download speeds.
The OECD's 'Broadband Statistics' report shows an increase of almost 6% in the number of new subscribers last year. Only Germany and Luxembourg had higher levels of per-capita subscriber growth.
By the end of December 2007, the report says that there were 768,000 subscribers - a penetration rate of 18.1%.
But despite the advances, the report finds that Irish broadband connections are among the most expensive in the OECD. The average amount being paid out for in monthly subscriptions is just under €40. Only Mexico, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have higher charges.
Ireland is also near the bottom of the table when it comes to advertised download speeds at three megabits per second. This is a long way from the OECD average of 13 megabits and a world away from the speeds offered in Japan of nearly 100 megabits
In a separate report on broadband rollout trends over the last four years, the OECD says governments need to continue to promote competition in the market and give more choice to consumers.
It says there should be a particular focus on upgrading to fibre-optic lines. The report also says more needs to be done to counter misleading advertising and 'unjustifiably long' lock in periods by service providers.
