Rural broadband overtakes urban connectivity in UK

Rural areas of the UK are better connected to broadband than their urban neighbours, according to a report published by communications regulator Ofcom.

Across the UK as a whole, 59 per cent of households in rural areas now have broadband compared to 57 per cent of urban areas.

When broadband was first introduced in the UK in 2000, households in urban areas were the first to take the service, leading to concerns that a digital divide was emerging between the countryside and built up areas. But the rapid rollout of broadband across the country has seen to it that most parts of the UK now have broadband, marling the end of the so called digital divide.

Overall, broadband is installed in 57 per cent of households across the UK – up from 45 per cent 12 months ago. England saw the highest growth, up 13 per cent to 58 per cent, with Scotland not far behind with 53 per cent. Northern Ireland follows with 52 per cent, whereas Wales has only 45 per cent.

Ofcom also looks at the penetration of other technologies, with 12 per cent of households now relying solely on a mobile phone. Wales saw the highest growth of mobile only homes, up 9 per cent to19 per cent, while some 12 per cent of homes in England are mobile only. In Northern Ireland, around one in ten households are mobile only, while Scotland was the only nation where the number of mobile only homes fell slightly from 14 per cent to 12 per cent.