Devon falling behind on broadband

DEVON has the worst digital access in England, according to new research which highlights a digital divide due to differences in internet connections.

One in six premises in Devon lacks access to superfast broadband compared to 98per cent connectivity in the UK’s most connected place – Bexley and Greenwich in London.

Ten percent of people in Devon had not used the internet at all in the past three months, if ever – well above the national average of seven per cent.

The study, by marketing experts N.Rich, used new ONS and Ofcom data to rank areas based on how many people had been online in the past three months and the number of premises with access to superfast broadband.

Devon ranked as the UK’s sixth worst place for digital connectivity and was one of only two areas in

England to make the list of top ten least connected areas.

Fermanagh and Omagh in Northern Ireland ranked as the least digitally connected area in the UK, where one in eight people had not used the internet in the past three months, if ever, and close to a third

had no access to superfast broadband.

Powys in Wales was the second worst-off area, followed by Mid Ulster in Northern Ireland.

Several Scottish regions saw some of the worst digital access, while at the other end of the scale, Croydon

and Brighton were among the towns with the best digital connections.

Fewer than one percent of people were offline in Croydon, and 96 percent enjoyed access to superfast broadband, while close to 100 percent of Brighton residents had superfast broadband coverage, and 98 percent had accessed the internet in the last three months.

A spokesperson for the advertising platform N.Rich, which conducted the study, said: “When you compare the internet use of UK residents with their ability to access fast broadband, it paints a clear picture of the digital divide and where it hits hardest.

“As the internet is now our core means of communication, from educating our children, to accessing work and running businesses, it’s more important than ever to ensure that every part of the UK has good digital access.”

Last December it was announced three companies had been selected to install full fibre broadband to more than 56,000 homes and businesses in Devon and Somerset by 2024 in a government-backed scheme, with more investment promised, as part of the £5bn Project Gigabit programme to expand gigabit-capable broadband across the UK by 2025.