UK broadband ranking improves
UK broadband ranking improves
The UK’s global broadband ranking has improved, according to the latest figures published by the OECD.
The statistics, from research on global broadband usage between September and December 2011, found that the UK is now ranked eighth, up from ninth last year.
Switzerland tops the OECD fixed broadband ranking, with 39.9 subscribers per 100 inhabitants, followed by the Netherlands (39.1) and Denmark (37.9). The OECD average is 25.6 broadband subscribers per 1,000 residents.
The figures show that the UK is lagging behind in particular on broadband speeds, offering an average of just 34,444 Kbps, well below the OECD average of 41,009 Kbps. However, the UK does appear to be competitive on broadband price, with our highest price per Mbps being the lowest compared to all but Korea and Denmark. This could be due to retail competition in the UK and consumer price sensitivity.
The data shows that the overall share of DSL subscriptions continues to fall and now stands at 55.8 per cent. At the same time, cable subscriptions are growing and have now reached 30 per cent globally. To-the-home subscriptions now represent 13.7 per cent of the total number of fixed broadband subscriptions, the figures show.
A release from the OECD said, “Fixed wired broadband subscriptions reached 314 million in the OECD area at the end of 2011, although growth slowed to 1.8 per cent in the second half. Year-on-year subscriptions rose by 4.1 per cent. Greece, Poland and Chile experienced the highest growth, of 6 per cent, to reach 21.8, 15.0 and 11.7 respectively.”
It added, “Wireless broadband subscriptions showed healthy growth of over 13 per cent in the last six months and Korea (100.6) and Sweden (98.0) continue to top the table. The global number of wireless broadband subscriptions in OECD countries totals 667 million, up from 590 million in June 2011.”
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