21 Aug 2018
Broadband study highlights rural connectivity issues as UK ranked 31st
Disappointing UK broadband speeds have highlighted the need for faster broadband in rural areas.
Alex Black
The UK ranked 31st with Singapore at the top of the list with broadband speeds more than three times faster, according to a recent study from broadband advice site Cable.co.uk.
The average UK download speed was 16.51 megabytes per second (mbps), which lagged behind many European countries including Sweden, Germany and Spain.
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Disappointing
Sarah Lee, head of policy, Countryside Alliance, said the figures were ‘very disappointing’.
“There needs to be more done to improve connectivity in those hard to reach places since one in five rural homes are still unable to receive speeds higher than 5mbps.
“The Government has invested significant amounts of money into connectivity but the benefits do not appear to be felt on the ground if these speeds are correct. The Countryside Alliance will continue to lobby government to make sure that communities are not hindered by their location and are on a level playing field with their urban and European neighbours.”
Lessons
Dan Howdle, consumer telecoms analyst at Cable.co.uk, said there were lessons to be learned from those above the UK in the table.
He added: “Not least the importance of reaching those with the lowest speeds, predominantly in very rural and/or hard-to-reach areas, but also greater investment in hyperfast fibre to the home (FTTH) networks, which currently reach only 2 per cent of properties in the UK, compared to Sweden or Latvia, say, where FTTH exceeds 40 per cent.”
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