Rural Britain suffers from slow broadband

Rural Britain suffers from slow broadband

Slow broadband speeds are hindering Britain’s rural areas, according to new research by financial services provider NFU Mutual.

A study by the company found that a fifth of countryside inhabitants only have access to poor broadband connections. While hurting families socially, this is also severely limiting the opportunities of small businesses operating in rural Britain.

Many counties are now attempting to resolve the issue by rolling out fast broadband and leased lines to villages and small towns. One such example is the Superfast Dorset project, which has pledged £31 million to bring superfast broadband to 95 per cent of the county by the end of 2016 in a bid to provide an infrastructure to enable economic growth.

Research by Point Topic released last week, suggested that at present 75 per cent of the UK as a whole had access to superfast broadband. Of the remaining quarter, an inability to access important communication technology or valuable online tools and services is acting as a major hindrance to businesses and households alike. Many are now arguing that broadband should be treated as the fourth utility – after water, gas and electrics – and as such companies and individual consumers must be provided with greater quality and choice.

Dominic Baliszewski from BroadbandChoices.co.uk commented: "It is great to see the UK leading the pack for superfast broadband, but success is relative and it is important to avoid complacency… eglected rural communities and 'not-spots' must be connected to this vital part of the UK infrastructure.”

News coming out of Belfast has shown the value of leased lines and superfast broadband; a technology provider that replaced slow connected with leased lines for 20 businesses noted that all of them have seen a rise in turnover as a result of improved productivity and being more competitive in the market. Although an urban area, it illustrates the importance of reliable and high-speed broadband to business.

NFU Mutual’s study among rural areas also revealed that lower bandwidth in rural areas meant that children from these areas are suffering as they struggle to gain access to the same online services enjoyed by urban school kids.

Tim Price, of NFU Mutual, told the BBC: "As more educational resources become internet-based, country children risk falling behind their urban counterparts. Studying via the Internet is now a key part of children's education and it's unfair that learning opportunities are being affected by slow Internet speeds.”

hSo provides managed networks designed for business. To get an instant cost for a leased line at your location, visit our online leased line price checker.