Everest base camp has 'faster speeds than UK countryside'

The tallest mountain in the world has faster broadband speeds than residents living in Somerset according to tests conducted over a 12 month period by cable.co.uk.

Download speeds in parts of Hertfordshire, Cumbria and Somerset, had average speeds of consumer tests of less than 2Mbps, compared to the base camp where climbers can have internet speeds of 2Mbps thanks to a satellite connection.

Towns and villages in these three counties can take up to 119 hours to download the new James Bond film, Spectre, in HD, based on the slowest speed recorded in the test.

Of the 94 tests taken in the village of Miserden, the slowest speed was 0.12Mbps, and an average of 1.3Mbps was recorded.

Dan Howdle, telecoms spokesman at cable.co.uk, said: “While the number of UK households on the right side of the 'digital divide' is increasing thanks to the continuing rollout of superfast broadband, those left stranded are finding themselves further and further behind — to the detriment of both themselves and their local economies.”

Mr Howdle continues by stating that it's not just the ability to download photos and movies that are the issue surrounding the new figures, but that these regions of the country face being reduced to “ghost towns” as residents frustrated at the speeds move businesses and homes out of these areas.

“Digital black holes like Ulverston, Miserden and others, unless addressed, will suffer a steady economic decline as homes become less desirable, and businesses can no longer sustain themselves without an online presence. These often beautiful, scenic locations will become ghost towns," he concluded.

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