UK is getting worse at broadband – study

Cable.co.uk has published its latest worldwide broadband speed league and found the UK is worse than 34 other countries.

Our average broadband speed of 18.57 Mbps puts us 35th out of the 200 countries measured in the study, down from 31 the last time it was done. Singapore is the best at 60 Mbps, while Yemen can only manage 310 Kbps. You can check out all the data here.

“It’s been very interesting looking at the data for a second year running, not least because we have three times as much of it this time around,” said Cable.co.uk Analyst Dan Howdle. “It is, however, somewhat sad to see the UK not faring better. A number of other countries have leapfrogged us since last year, including France and Madagascar.

“Compared to many other countries both in and out of Europe the UK has simply come too late to a full fibre (FTTP) solution. Despite plans to roll out FTTP to UK homes across the next decade or so, the UK is likely to fall further behind while we wait.”

CityFibre CEO Greg Mesch served up his tried and tested angle. “Seeing the UK falling even further behind other EU countries for broadband speed is depressing but not surprising, given the UK’s lack of investment in fibre to the premises and other nations’ new networks increasingly coming online,” he persisted.

“Companies are now investing billions to bring this technology to the UK, but this will only be successful with the Government’s full support. The place to start is putting a stop to the misleading use of the word fibre in broadband advertising, so that consumers know that when they see fibre, it is a fibre to the premises connection they are buying. Copper is dead: it is time for the UK to embrace full fibre – no ifs, no buts.”