Compare Broadband, TV, & Bundle Deals to Save

If you are looking to compare broadband providers, but feel a little overwhelmed or lost by the process, then this guide is a great place to get started in understanding the importance of finding the best broadband plan for your home, and how you can get started. From current supplier offers, to how customers rate their services, let’s get started.

Who Offers the Best Broadband Deal in Ireland?

In a world where the cost of living is ever-increasing, it is natural that when we compare broadband providers, we want to make sure that the product that we choose is both suitable and affordable for our needs.

For this reason, we have assembled the latest prices of the 10 largest broadband providers currently operating within the Republic of Ireland so you can easily compare broadband deals. Please note that these prices are based on the cheapest prices for a 12-month period, the prices and speeds of which are subject to change, availability, area and potentially additional charges.

Pricing and plan data as of October 2022

Many of the faster broadband speed plans offered will depend on availability in your area. For that, you can verify your maximum internet speeds through our handy tool.

Comparing broadband prices should only be a part of your criteria when choosing a provider for your home. Some other elements to consider are as follows:

• Reliability
• Customer Service
• Speed (as previously mentioned)
• Length of Contract
• Data Usage Policy

To evaluate these criteria, we turn to customer review ratings below.

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Compare Broadband Supplier Reviews

While reviews and word of mouth can be subjective, and perhaps not give the full picture, they are a very useful tool in helping you to make decisions when setting out to compare broadband providers.

Aside from asking your friends and neighbours, online tools such as Trustpilot or Google Reviews can give a great insight into how the public feels about a company, while also letting you see how or if the business responds to issues.

Below is a table showing the Trustpilot and Google reviews data for the aforementioned companies. Please note that many of the larger companies use one profile to cover all of their products, and so a percentage of these scores may not necessarily relate to their broadband service.

Ratings as of October 2022

These results clearly show a better rating of some of the smaller Irish broadband suppliers versus the larger ones. A balance between pricing, speed, and opinions should then ease the process of choosing the best broadband company for your home.

Why is it Important to Compare Broadband Providers?

When we move home, there are dozens of things we need to set up and tick off our to-do list, from checking for the best energy deals, seeing which companies are available for waste collection, changing your address details, and a myriad of other tasks. Once this is done, you will often find that the utility bills that you have had to set up total quite a substantial figure.

If you are one of the 92% of Irish households that have access to internet services, then broadband will be one of these bills, and will often be far from the cheapest. Moving home is a prime opportunity to check what deals are available in your area, with many broadband providers offering exclusive deals and packages to new customers.

Even if you haven't moved home, if your contract is coming to an end, it is worth pondering about what sort of use you get out of your package. Are you paying for a service that you simply don't need, and could cut down on the speed? Do you maybe need a more comprehensive service due to a change in circumstances or working from home? Exciting new projects such as:

• 5G rollout
• SIRO Broadband
• Satellite Broadband
• Fibre

Asking if some of these projects have reached your area is worthwhile as you may have access to better internet plans than before. Either way, you need to make sure that you are on a broadband plan that suits both your needs and your bank account.

Loyalty ProgramsDoes your supplier offer a loyalty scheme? Some providers incentivise brand loyalty and new customers joining by offering attractive awards, such as through the Three Plus rewards program. Keep an eye out for these when comparing broadband deals!

Factors to Consider When Comparing Broadband Offers

While changing your broadband service provider can be pretty simple, it is worth considering what you feel is important for your home, and what criteria you should use in your mission to compare broadband providers.

A few examples of useful things to keep in mind are:

1. When does my current contract end?
2. Length of the new contract (12, 18, or 24 months)
3. What is my budget, can I reduce my package, or do I need to expand it?
4. What services do I actually need?
5. Will changing broadband provider affect any other items in my bundle?
6. What services and maximum speeds can I get?
7. Do I need a rural broadband specialist?

As with many types of contracts, you will often be locked into a fixed term with your current broadband provider. While it isn’t impossible to cancel these contracts, the remainder of the contracted service period will usually be payable in full, along with cancellation charges. In some cases, you may also need to give 30 days' notice or more of your intention to cancel your service, on top of returning your equipment. So make sure to plan your switches in advance.

Likewise, if you have bundled your broadband with other packages, you should read the terms of your contract to see if changing your broadband provider will affect your other services, such as:

• Mobile plan
• TV package
• Streaming Options

Finally, all properties are restricted in terms of the speeds that they can physically get. For example, if your home is only capable of receiving a maximum download speed of 30 Mbps, then purchasing a package with a maximum download speed of 250 Mbps will not benefit you, as your home cannot receive this speed regardless of agreeing to the package. More on this in our next section.

Service AvailabilityMake sure that your chosen broadband provider can service your area! Some providers are area or technology-specific, and so if you have moved towns or homes, you may not be able to continue with the same provider.

How to Check your Line and Broadband Speeds?

As we have mentioned, one of the most important things to understand when going to compare broadband providers is what type of speed your property can handle, and what type of connection you have.

Most broadband providers in Ireland offer average speeds ranging between 24 Mbps and 150 Mbps, with a few exceptions claiming a maximum possible speed of 1 Gbps. Broadband speeds are broken into three important parts:

1. Download speed - The speed at which content is downloaded (images, films, documents)
2. Upload speed - The speed at which you can upload data to the web (files, send emails)
3. Latency - How fast sent data can be recognised and interpreted by the receiving system.

The good news is that most of the time when you compare broadband providers, their websites provide an in-built facility to test what form of connection you have, and which speeds are appropriate for your home. Once again, here at Selectra, we have such a tool for you to use on our broadband speed check page, along with a wealth of other useful information.

To get more of an idea about what sorts of speeds you need, take a look at the list below of commonly used online services, and their required speed to be able to function well.

1. 5 Mbps

   Average speed recommended for basic Netflix streaming.

2. 10 Mbps

   Suggested minimum for one person to reliably work from home, depending on the nature of your work.

3. 25 Mbps

   Ideal for light use with two devices (social media, light video watching, internet browsing) in the same home.

4. 25-35 Mbps

   This is the very minimum speed advisable for online gaming.

5. 100 Mbps

   Sufficient for businesses of up to 10 users at any time.

6. Medium to larger business

   These should avail of services of a minimum of 300 Mbps, or have multiple networks throughout the premises to spread the usage load.

Conclusion: Which is the Best Broadband Company in Ireland?

As we have seen, unfortunately, there isn't one simple answer for the entire Republic. Much of the answer will depend on a combination of factors we have previously covered:

• Service availability in your area.
• Your internet minimum speed requirements.
• The monthly cost of the plan.
• Customer service reviews.
• Preference for a bundle or not.

To delve deeper into the matter, feel free to browse through our complete series comparing broadband packages and providers guides below.