By Business & Finance 
With broadband consumers across the country spending more time working from home, the growing demand for broadband speed continues apace.
The changing market is creating a surge of interest in the fastest and best value broadband available. Broadband providers are responding with new products which can resolve bandwidth issues by switching to faster speeds of pure fibre for the same price as their current part-fibre deal.
Ronan Whelan, Chief Commercial Officer of SIRO, the high-speed fibre network said: “Overnight, the world changed and we became dependent on broadband in a way that we were not before, with people relying on communication networks to allow them to work, educate, entertain and stay in touch. There has been a consistent 15% spike in usage since March and obviously, with people at home, we have seen our busiest periods shift from the evenings to during the day. Interestingly demand dipped somewhat in week one September with the return of children to school, but overall we see this trend continuing as remote working is here to stay, with people likely to follow a hybrid model of working in the office for two or three days a week, along with a couple of days at home when the world returns to normal.”
Choosy.ie, the price comparison site, has seen thousands of consumers searching for the fastest, cheapest broadband available. The site enables consumers to find if high-speed networks are likely to be available at their address.
It’s one thing if your Disney+ movie is a little slow streaming when the kids get home from school, but it’s quite another if the Zoom call with your boss cuts out half-way through a discussion about a new role.
Jason Campbell, Head of Commercial, Choosy.ie said: “While there is plenty of price competition in the part-fibre category (up to 100Mb) too, it seems as if lockdown has made consumers think about their broadband needs. It’s one thing if your Disney+ movie is a little slow streaming when the kids get home from school, but it’s quite another if the Zoom call with your boss cuts out half-way through a discussion about a new role. Remote working has brought our broadband requirements into focus, and for a lot of people, it has revealed they need more bandwidth than a part-fibre deal can offer.
He continued: “The other benefit of switching broadband is taking advantage of an introductory offer for the 12 months of your contract. Many people on part-fibre deals are realising they could pay the same, or even less, for a pure fibre connection that is five or ten times faster if they switch. That’s where we can help, by comparing all the suppliers offers in one search at your address.”
