UK broadband fails to deliver speeds : Ofcom
Only one out of ten broadband users in UK get a speed of 8Mbps, according to the latest Ofcom’s International Communications Market Report.
UK Telecom regulator has ranked UK fifth among the nine European nations, in terms of broadband speeds. In comparison, more than a quarter in France (26%) receive over 8Mbps speed. In Sweden and the Netherlands the percentage is even higher – 33% and 37% respectively.
However, in terms of offering cheap broadband services, UK ranks well among the 12 broadband developed nations. In UK, the average cost of a broadband connection is around £16 while it is £23 in Italy and £25 in Spain. In US, 8Mb broadband service cost £20.
In Europe, broadband prices have fallen sharply since 2003 and the current UK broadband prices could be at their lowest, says Richard Thurston of Analysys Mason.
“Certainly for consumer ADSL the price seems unlikely to fall much further, but business fibre connections for next-generation access are still falling across Europe,” he added.
The report also shows that 3G and HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) based mobile broadband has penetrated more than ninety percent of the popluation in UK.
Mobile data usage has also risen in the last five years with the revenues that come from mobile data service reaching 24% of the total £15bn received from all mobile services in 2008, an increase of 9 % since 2003.
Related News: