Broadband suffering from north-south divide
Broadband suffering from north-south divide
New research from price comparison site uSwitch suggests that there is a north-south divide when it comes to the standard of broadband in the UK.
The analysis suggests that broadband speeds are improving but that many people are “still stuck in the broadband slow lane”. It found that speeds in Scotland have fallen over the last 12 months and that the South East is dominating when it comes to progress.
The statistics from uSwitch reveal that overall, average broadband speeds have risen by 16 per cent in the last year, from 6.74 Mbps to 7.84 Mbps. However, around three in ten postcodes still have download speeds of less than 3 Mbps, whilst 21 per cent of households have speeds of below 2 Mbps – this is regarded as the minimum basic requirement.
Unsurprisingly, London tops the league table for the fastest broadband speeds but the South East dominates the list of fastest broadband areas, claiming half of the top ten.
Belfast, Liverpool, Luton, Stockport, Belfast and Portsmouth also feature in the top ten, reflecting the fact that dense populations are being focused on the most when it comes to broadband connectivity.
Julia Stent, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, is quoted by the Telegraph as saying, “Great strides are being made across the country to bring broadband infrastructure up to speed, but too many, especially in rural areas, are still stuck in the slow lane.”
She added, “The ongoing concern is that there is clearly a divide between the service being received by people in the South East of England and by those in Scotland. We cannot afford to see a ‘speed-gap’ develop between the north and south, or between England and Scotland. More needs to be done to make sure that everyone in the UK has access to the best possible broadband speeds that they can.”
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