Computer Weekly report on the persisting connectivity gap across the UK

In its recently published Connected Nations autumn update, Ofcom found an increase in the number of UK households able to get full-fibre broadband capable of delivering download speeds of up to 1 Gbps, yet the quality of services from these lines is patchy according to where people live, the UK communications regulator has found.

The proportion of home broadband connections that were superfast packages, with an advertised download speed of 30 Mbps or higher, was 91% in 2022, and 8% were ultrafast packages with advertised speeds of 300 Mbps or more.

However worryingly, the gap between average urban and rural speeds has widened.

Ofcom discovered that during the 8-10pm peak-time period, there was a 58% difference between average urban (62.1 Mbps) and rural (39.4 Mbps) download speeds, up from 42% in 2021.

While rural speeds increased, the rate of increase was lower than in urban areas, where growth in the availability and take-up of faster cable and full-fibre services is higher.

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Computer Weekly - Rural-urban broadband connectivity gap persists in UK