CityFibre research says UK is doing terrible job at connectivity

Research commissioned by serial-moaner and sh*t-stirrer CityFibre claims the UK is falling way back in the connectivity ranks, with broadband slower than on Madagascar.

We strongly suspect the wording of the research twisted certain perspectives and answers, CityFibre does of course gain from frowns directed at the mainstream telcos, but it is not difficult to believe the statistics. The research suggests the UK ranks 35th in the world for broadband speeds, as the country still relies too much on copper infrastructure instead of the futuristic fibre alternative.

“For too long the UK has been held back by a deliberate lack of investment by BT Openreach in fibre infrastructure,” said Greg Mesch, CEO of CityFibre. “Although companies like CityFibre are building the networks that will give millions of homes and businesses access to full fibre broadband, providers continuing to advertise copper-based connections as ‘fibre’ is leaving people completely confused about what is on offer.

“With the way we work increasingly blending our home and work lives, it has never been more important for people to understand what broadband connection they really get at home.”

Looking at the research statistics, 78% of the respondents feel slowed down and frustrated by their internet connection, a number which increases to 82% with homeworkers. Again, these figures will have been twisted by the working of the questions, but as a homeworker your correspondent can confirm this is an issue. 99% of those who work from agree a faster internet connection would be more beneficial to their working lives.

The benefits of working from home are clear, though connectivity barriers are starting to become more apparent. The intensity of work programmes will soon get to a point where copper based infrastructure becomes more than a hindrance. Unfortunately for the UK, fewer than 4% of homes currently have a fibre connection, and that is using statistics from the government’s Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR). This 4% compares to 71% of homes in Spain and 89% of homes in Portugal.

The extremity of what CityFibre is saying should be taken with a pinch of salt, the picture of Coppersaurus is a prime example of trolling behaviour from the telco, but it is not wrong. The UK is falling behind, and while the FTIR does look promising, now is the time for action not more investigations. As Matthew Howett of Assembly said at this years Connected Britain event:

“If you could rollout out connectivity through reports and investigations, Britain would have faster broadband than Japan and Korea.”