THE NUMBER of broadband subscribers in Ireland surpassed 1.2 million during the fourth quarter of 2008, according to new figures published by the communications regulator ComReg.

Broadband subscriptions rose by 6.7 per cent compared with the third quarter and were up 35.4 per cent compared with the same period in 2007.

Mobile broadband subscriptions continue to show strong signs of growth, rising by 15 per cent in the fourth quarter and by 142 per cent over the year.

If mobile broadband subscriptions are excluded, the number of broadband subscribers in Ireland grew 17.5 per cent in the year to the end of December. Broadband per capita penetration reached 27.1 per cent during the quarter.

Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan said the latest figures were encouraging.

“We constantly hear about the lack of broadband, but today’s figures show yet again the great strides we are making in broadband in Ireland,” he said.

According to ComReg’s latest figures, the mobile phone penetration rate in Ireland reached 121 per cent, with over 5.3 million mobile phone subscriptions.

Vodafone remains the most popular mobile provider with a 41.1 per cent share of the market, followed by O2 with a 37.9 per cent share, Meteor with 18.2 per cent share and 3 Ireland with just 2.8 per cent of total subscribers.