Broadband scheme to target Ireland's "no-access" areas

The rollout of the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) in Ireland will target sections of the population in Ireland who currently have no broadband access, RTE reports.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Irish parliament, the Dail, that this accounted for around ten per cent of people in Eire.

Mr Ahern was reportedly responding to questions from the leader of the political party Fine Gael, Enda Kenny, about the rollout plans and the speed of broadband connections currently on offer.

He acknowledged there was "an issue" with broadband speeds, the Irish news service said, but also pointed out that broadband penetration is now getting closer to the average for countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The NBS was introduced in May 2007 by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to bring broadband services to businesses and consumers in parts of the country that had no existing coverage.

At the time of the launch, Ireland had the second-fastest growing broadband market in the European Union, with a rate of expansion three times higher than the EU average.