UK surge in superfast broadband

The proportion of superfast broadband connections in the UK has grown from 5% in November 2011 to 25% in November 2013, according to new research by Ofcom.

The UK broadcast regulator said that the average actual fixed-line residential broadband speed in the UK is 17.8Mbit/s, almost five times faster than it was five years ago when Ofcom first began publishing the data.

And the average superfast connection speed has also continued to rise, reaching 47.0Mbit/s in November 2013 – an increase of 47%, or 15.1Mbit/s since May 2010.

“The growth in superfast broadband and the rise in average speeds is testament to the investment in the sector. But the benefits are not shared evenly across the UK.  There is more work needed to deliver wider availability of broadband and superfast broadband, particularly in rural communities but also in some locations within cities to enable wider access to fast internet,” said Ofcom CEO, Ed Richards.