» Increased number of Irish businesses are choosing a leased line

Research from Central Statistics Office highlights increased subscription to leased line service

An increasing number of businesses in Ireland are opting to subscribe to a leased line connection, according to new research from the Central Statistics Office.

The report into broadband access for companies based in Ireland during 2009 discovered that more organisations were choosing to rely on leased line access for their data transfer and online connection.

It was revealed that 45 per cent of the businesses questioned in the survey were operating through high-speed connections such as a leased line. When compared to a similar study by the Central Statistics Office in 2008, the percentage of firms using a leased line or similar service has grown by four per cent. This was, in part, attributed to the decline of leased line cost.

The study, intended to research the e-Commerce and ICT usage by enterprises in the country, also discovered that 13 per cent of businesses in Ireland still accessed the internet through dial-up lines. It was also revealed that 27 per cent used mobile broadband for their connection needs.

The statistics, which were released into the public domain at the end of 2009 and covered by a number of regional and national publications, also uncovered the different ways companies used their high speed connections. Two thirds of businesses said their high speed internet was intended to increase the effectiveness of their online presence. This data included those firms operating through a leased line.