The UK is well behind the leading pack when it comes to the top broadband speeds across the globe, new research has revealed.

Figures from market intelligence body Ookla have shown that the UK is 33rd in the world when it comes to connections, with the average speed available standing at 7.69Mb.

In comparison, South Korea is home to average connections of 34.19Mb, but some experts may be more interested in the fact that the UK is behind countries such as Ukraine, Andorra and Slovakia when it comes to speeds.

The study also found that the UK has an average upload speed of 0.91Mb, which again was found to be well below South Korea's 18.45Mbps.

News of the UK's broadband performance has come after Point Topic predicted a major surge in fibre-optic network coverage in the next few years.

According to the research body, the technology will experience levels of growth last seen by BT's DSL service in the mid-2000s.