The number of people working from home, at least some of the time, has more than doubled since the introduction of Covid-19 restrictions, according to the Communications regulator, Comreg. Not surprisingly, this has led to a sharp rise in broadband usage with 77 per cent of survey respondents saying they were using the internet more, as against 61 per cent previously. The number of people shopping online has risen 15 per cent since April while video calls have increased 8 per cent. Most survey respondents expressed satisfaction with the level of broadband they were receiving, although those in rural areas were less happy. Half of all respondents said they would be willing to spend more on broadband to get a better service with some perceiving a deterioration in quality during the lockdown.

Source: The Irish Times July 10, 2020 16:07 UTC