Broadband runs at top speed in less than 1pc of Britain’s homes

JUST 44 postcodes out of 1.7 million have optimum broadband speeds, Ofcom figures show.

Analysis of internet speeds suggests only a tiny minority of British households are accessing “gigabit speed” broadband, which is more than 20 times faster than the current average.

The analysis, by the Financial Times, suggests there are only 44 postcodes where average speeds of 1Gbit/s were being taken up. Only three of these are in urban areas.

The 1 Gbit /s speed, seen as the benchmark for fast broadband in the future, is also offered by some providers as “hyperoptic” broadband and outperforms the “superfast” and “ultra-fast” speeds commonly offered by mainstream internet companies.

Many of the places with the fastest broadband in the country are in remote areas, including rural parts of Lancashire and Oxfordshire. This is in part due to some northern areas being covered by B4RN, or Broadband for the Rural North, a community-led organisation that offers the fast connection to households in its coverage area for £30 a month.

However, many rural areas are still neglected, with a report by the Local Government Association warning that residents outside cities were struggling with slow speeds.

According to Ofcom, rural areas make up most of the five per cent of homes which are still unable to access superfast speeds – defined as anything up to 80Mb.

The Government pledged that 95 per cent of homes would be able to access these speeds by the end of December last year.

In January, Matt Hancock, then-secretary of state for digital culture, media and sport, said the £1.7 billion programme had been successful.

The Telegraph has been campaigning for better broadband in line with modern business and social requirements.

Rural businesses have said they are being held back by an inability to access fast, reliable internet, limiting their capacity to set up online shops and communicate with clients and customers.

The FT said its data was based on Ofcom’s information and relates to the speeds that households were actually accessing.

Openreach said 17.5 million homes and businesses were able to upgrade to faster broadband services.