How little we realised that broadband would not only enhance the quality of our lives, but that it could actually change the way in which we used computers. The advantages to broadband are many, and are more significant than simply having always-on internet connectivity . . .

although it was this aspect that was so appealing to so many people who wanted to use their phone lines and the World Wide Web at the same time. But the data stream which can come through even the most limited of broadband connections allows for greater use of digital media . . . such as the ability to watch video and listen to audio without interruptions.

It is not so long since the issue of always-on internet access was something of a hot potato. There was talk of the wholesaling of phone lines. There was constant mention of local loop unbundling, which was a fancy way of saying that one company should not have a monopoly. But the availability of broadband in Ireland has made all of these debates obsolete, with the upshot that broadband is now an everyday part of many people's lives, and is about as remarkable as having a telephone.

Why, then, did recent figures from the European Commission state that broadband penetration in Ireland was as low as 5%?

Since the advent of the digital revolution, Ireland has prided itself as being something of a technological leader. Can it be that our championing of technology is down to a sort of technical elite, leaving the majority of the population to peer in from outside the brave new world? Or is 95% of the population so attached to its dialup internet connections that it refuses to countenance this new form of connectivity?

The reality is that this figure of 5% is something of a red herring.

"The problem with research from the European Commission is that it has to co-ordinate data from 25 member states, so many of the figures are out of date, " said Patricia Dowling, trend manager with ComReg, the communications regulator.

"Ireland saw a huge amount of broadband activity in 2006, but this is not reflected in the report from the EC. In fact, in the current environment, I feel that Ireland is at a tipping point in terms of mass-market adoption of broadband technology. We have already seen significant growth, particularly during the summer months . . . and usually the summer is not an especially good time for this sort of activity."

This is good news for ComReg, which targeted 400,000 broadband users by the end of this year. Despite the ambitious commitment, the target was actually reached by the end of August, and to date there are about 430,000 registered broadband subscribers in Ireland. Still, this means that fewer than half of the estimated one million internet users in Ireland are using broadband, with the remainder languishing on their narrowband connections.

"The focus of ComReg is currently on how to push broadband's case, so that we have more broadband subscribers than narrowband ones, " said Dowling.

The new uptake of broadband connections is being seen across a wide range of technologies. Still to the fore in Ireland is our preponderance for DSL, which is hardly surprising given the dominant position of eircom in the telecommunications market (despite competition). But in terms of targeting more and more broadband users, there is one issue which has always been to the fore . . . the issue of supply. However, many people in the industry feel that this is more an issue in the public's perception than in is for the reality of subscribing to broadband.

"There is still an issue with supply, " admitted Dowling.

"At the moment, there are about 10% to 15% of people who will not be reached by DSL, due to the distance of the house from an exchange.

But there are technologies which will enable providers to reach these homes, and eircom is committed to investing in areas which are currently not serviced by DSL connections."

Part of ComReg's own commitment to increasing the number of broadband users is to increase awareness of these alternative platforms. In some cases, cable could be the answer (and through their new parent - UPC Broadband - both NTL and Chorus are increasing the provision of broadband enabled cables). Fixed wireless access is another area which can be the answer to lack of DSL (although line-ofsight issues between the transmitter and the person's antenna can always be a stumbling block). Finally, satellite does provide a niche where other technologies simply cannot reach, although there are greater up-front costs, so the satellite option could be better in a business context. In any case, ComReg is trying to encourage uptake of these alternative platforms by allowing providers to pick the specific areas that they want to serve, rather than having to adopt a scattergun approach to the provision of broadband.

There is also a debate about whether the new 3G mobile phones qualify as broadband, and certainly developments in unlimited mobile data products are encouraging . . . indeed, some countries do consider this technology to be broadband, which is part of the reason why Ireland seems to be lagging behind many parts of Europe. But, in all, supply is no longer really the issue when it comes to broadband uptake . . . the real issue is the hearts and minds of the people.

"We need to focus the debate on why quite a significant percentage of people are still using dial-up, " said Dowling. "Despite what some people think, broadband will generally be more cost-effective than dial-up, so it is really a question of getting the potential users to see what they can actually get . . .

because broadband is simply a means to an end, and not a means in itself. There are no longer issues with people knowing what broadband is . . . although there are still issues around people who don't see the relevance of the internet at all."