Commenting on the Autumn Statement, which includes a £1bn boost for better broadband, Ewan Taylor-Gibson, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “Future-proofing our telecoms infrastructure by investing in fibre should have wide-reaching benefits for a digital, connected society and the economy, too, helping us keep pace with other countries.
“But we’re already on the back foot. The UK has fallen far behind most EU countries, where ultrafast-capable fibre-to-the-home services are common and, meanwhile, the take-up of existing fibre services is still fairly low.
“Superfast fibre broadband is available to 90% of the UK, yet 20 of the UK’s 42 biggest cities are registering actual average speeds of below 24Mbps. And three in 10 broadband users register actual speeds of less than 5Mbps, while just 10% log speeds of above 50Mbps.
“These figures suggest barriers to the take-up of fibre must be brought down whilst infrastructure is improved – barriers that include the awareness of the availability of fibre and pricing. It is critical the government ensures that, with ultrafast broadband in its sights, those already struggling with poor speeds or no access to broadband at all are not left behind.”
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Claire Jones
Phone: 020 7148 4663
Email: Claire.Jones@uswitch.com
Twitter: @uswitchPR
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