UK is 25th in global broadband speeds survey
UK is 25th in global broadband speeds survey
The UK’s average broadband speed has been ranked 25th in an international survey to find out where the quickest downloads are available across the world.
The Net Index report by Ookla was based on millions of speed tests carried out globally. Hong Kong topped the list for the fastest networks, achieving average download speeds of 71.03Mbps, more than double the average 23.55Mbps recorded in the UK. However, the UK’s average speeds were still ahead of Germany in 27th place, the US which ranked 31st, Canada in 37th place and 38th-ranked Spain.
Ookla used tests on its own Speedtest servers to draw the table, which put Singapore in second place and Romania in third.
Meanwhile, the latest figures from the European Commission on broadband coverage across the EU for 2012 showed that more than half of homes can now access broadband with speeds of 30Mbps. The figure is the target speed set by the EC for most homes to reach by 2020.
The Mapping Broadband Coverage report showed that almost all homes in the EU – 99 per cent – were able to connect to either fixed or mobile broadband services. The vast majority – 95 per cent - also had access to fixed broadband services.
However, only 53.7 per cent of homes were able to connect to superfast broadband across the EU, a rise on 2011’s 50.2 per cent. The reach of superfast networks fell to just 12.4 per cent in rural areas.
The UK was well above average compared to other EU nations because of the use of hybrid fibre, which is cheaper and easier to roll out than full fibre optic networks. It helped push UK superfast broadband availability up to 70.3 per cent by the end of last year. Just over 18 per cent of homes in rural parts of the UK are able to access the faster speeds.
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