According to the latest quarterly data report from ComReg, fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) subscriber numbers have reached 1,004,388. This represents 57pc of all fixed broadband lines, which is up from 49pc a year ago.
Some 93pc of the total have bought broadband speeds equal to or greater than 500 megabits per second (Mbps).
At the end of September, there were over 2.15 million active broadband subscriber lines in Ireland, of which 1.76 million were fixed, with the rest mobile.
FTTP is now the most purchased broadband technology, and is available at 81pc of premises. Gigabit broadband – a super-fast connection capable of delivering one gigabit per second – is available at 89pc.
ComReg said that 51pc of all premises where an FTTP service is available have taken it up.
The counties with the highest level of FTTP coverage are Longford and Westmeath at 94pc each, while Westmeath has the highest level of gigabit coverage at 96pc. However, the counties with the highest level of FTTP take-up are Meath and Kildare.
The telecom regulator also said that an average residential fixed broadband subscriber is using 518GB of data a month, up 15pc in the last year. Businesses are using 369.2GB, up 5pc since the same quarter in 2024.
Over two out of three (69pc) fixed broadband subscribers buy speeds equal to or greater than 500 Mbps, which is up from 59pc at the same time last year. One in five are buying broadband speeds of one gigabit per second or more.
Total mobile subscriptions, including broadband, increased to 10.7 million, driven by a rise in bill-pay, which represent over three-quarters of all mobile subs.
The average mobile voice customer used 150 minutes, sent 33 texts, down 5pc since last year, and used 20GB of data, up 11pc annually.
Minutes spent on phone calls declined again in the third quarter. At 212 million minutes, it was down 14.4pc year-on-year.
There are now just over one million landlines left, with the number dropping by 9pc over the last year. Eir has 54pc of that market, followed by Virgin Media (13.7pc) and Vodafone (13pc).
ComReg said data in its quarterly summary is based on questionnaires completed by 55 active operators for the period July 1 to September 30.
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