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Ofcom hopeful 'broadband map' will stimulate infrastructure investment
Thursday 7th July 2011, by Daniel King
Ofcom is hopeful that the publication of the UK's first interactive broadband services map will stimulate investment and the rollout of improved internet infrastructure.
The new map shows that the UK has an average maximum broadband speed of 7.5Mbps, excluding superfast broadband services.
Despite 68 per cent of UK premises relying on a fixed line broadband provider, including households and businesses, some areas of the country are still severely lacking.
The map indicates that the northern most parts of Scotland, Wales and the north-west of the country are still lagging behind other areas.
Speeds and quality of service are markedly better in densely populated areas, such as Greater London, Brighton and Edinburgh.
Northern Ireland was picked out for the high level of superfast broadband availability, where 97 per cent of addresses are within reach of superfast broadband enabled exchange.
Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards explained: "We are now developing a clear picture of the UK's fixed broadband infrastructure and how it delivers for consumers. We hope that this information will stimulate further rollout of broadband infrastructure and better performance for households and businesses."
The map was compiled using data that considered access to superfast broadband, average broadband take-up by residents and the average actual speeds at different addresses.
Areas were also assessed on the basis of the proportion of homes that were not currently receiving broadband speeds in excess of 2Mbps.
Compared against data published by the regulator in May, mobile broadband services do not appear to have filled the gap left by poor fixed line provision.
Currently around 17 per cent of households use mobile broadband to access online services, although only seven per cent use it as their sole means of access.
Mobile broadband use has more than doubled compared to 2009, when uptake stood at three per cent.
Categories: Broadband, Business Broadband
