UK Broadband ‘Needs To Improve To Compete With Europe’
With the process of leaving the EU now underway in the UK, there are many areas of the economy that politicians and businesses alike are assessing.
One part of the country’s infrastructure that definitely needs work is its internet connectivity, with a report published earlier this year showing that while some parts of the UK enjoy broadband speeds of 30.4Mbps, others are languishing behind with just 6.3Mbps.
Writing for the Evening Standard, Rohan Silva drew attention to a recent report from the London Assembly Regeneration Committee, which revealed the city falls far behind its European counterparts when it comes to internet speed.
According to the report, download speeds in the UK’s capital are three times slower than they are in Paris, and two times slower than in Iceland’s Reykjavik. In addition, the report highlighted the low availability in fibre broadband, with just three per cent of properties in London enjoying this kind of connection.
By contrast, 80 per cent of buildings in Spain have this form of faster and more reliable internet connection.
But it isn’t only other countries in the EU that the UK should be looking at, according to Silva. In Asia, cities like Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo have ultra-fast broadband that is 150 times faster than the average speeds provided in London boroughs like Southwark and Westminster.
Improving the UK’s broadband network is therefore likely to make a big difference to businesses of all sizes, by improving productivity and allowing more firms to take advantage of technology like Voip business phone systems.