Over 1m homes plagued by sub-10mbps broadband

More than one million homes and offices still struggle to get good broadband, but the number has fallen sharply in the past 12 months.

In its annual Connected Nations report, which evaluates broadband and mobile coverage across the UK, Ofcom said one million premises (around 4 per cent) couldn’t get download speeds above 10Mbps, considered the minimum for a ‘decent’ connection. This figure was 1.6 million in 2016.

Ofcom also said too many people suffered slow upload speeds of 1Mbps. This was becoming critical, it added, because more small businesses and families use video-sharing and conferencing programs.

As in previous years, the problem was worst in rural areas, where about 17 per cent lack decent broadband, compared with two per cent in towns and cities. However, more premises can now get super-fast broadband, which Ofcom defines as 30Mbps – up from 89 to 91 per cent. The proportion of premises signing up for 30Mbps deals has also increased, from 31 to 38 per cent.

Ofcom said the proportion of homes able to get full-fibre broadband, offering speeds up to 300Mbps, was only three per cent, up from two. But it expects this to increase in the next few years as Virgin Media and Openreach roll out more services.

England had the highest average download speed in the UK, at 45Mbps (see box).

Mobile coverage has also improved, the report said, with 58 per cent of premises now able to get a 4G signal (up from 40 per cent).

But Ofcom said many people are unable to receive good coverage when they are out and about, particularly on roads and railways. It’s working on ways to measure improvements to coverage on transport routes.