Wales suffers from lowest superfast broadband rate in UK

Wales suffers from lowest superfast broadband rate in UK

A new report from regulator Ofcom, has revealed that Wales has the lowest rate of superfast broadband in the UK.

The annual Communications Market Report: Wales, found that it had the lowest proportion of premises in the country with access to fast broadband services. While just 48 per cent of Welsh premises had access, the average across the UK is 73 per cent, meaning that the majority of properties were located in postcodes served by next-generation access (NGA) networks, which are needed to provide fast broadband.

Ofcom also found that Wales had the second lowest level of premises with outdoor coverage from each of the three 2G mobile networks, reported the BBC.

The report read: "Across the UK nations this proportion was lowest in Wales at 48 per cent and highest in Northern Ireland at 95 per cent.” However, despite Wales’ low figure, the report confirmed some positive news, saying: “Wales had the largest increase in the proportion of premises in postcodes served by NGA networks in the year to June 2013, an 11 percentage point increase compared to the 37 per cent recorded in June 2012."

Ofcom's director for Wales, Rhodri Williams, told the BBC that he had faith that things would improve in the near future. "This report is obviously backward-looking and there's no doubt at all that in availability of superfast broadband, and certainly 3G mobile telephones, Wales has been playing catch-up - especially in the more rural, sparsely-populated parts of Wales which have been under-served. But, probably for the first time ever, we're now in a position to say steps are being taken to remedy that."

The Welsh Government’s Superfast Cymru scheme aims to provide broadband coverage to 96 per cent of the population by 2016.

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.