The managing director of eBay Ireland has warned that the country’s poor internet service is harming its ability to attract foreign companies to locate there. John McElligott said “I am embarrassed to tell my peers in other countries about Ireland’s connectivity problems.”
In correspondance delivered to Irish politicians over the last week, McElligott said that Ireland needs “a major leap in connectivity capabilities in terms of coverage, quality and speed” if it is to become the location of choice for companies expanding into Europe. At the moment, he said, “the UK is the destination of choice. I fear we will regret this.”
The statement will come as an embarrassment to Irish politicians, particularly Michael Martin, the minister for enterprise, trade and employment. Martin said last October that broadband availability was expanding, and that connectivity issues were not inhibiting Ireland’s attractiveness for foreign investors. The government is planning to spend €435m on communications’ improvements over the next five years, but McElligott has called for bigger and better improvements. He said, “I am comprehensively disappointed by what has been achieved to date, and highly concerned about the future.”
