According to a report by network test firm, Viavi, Europe is severely lagging behind in gigabit broadband connections and roll-outs. The report, titled Global Gigabit Monitor, looks at how quickly gigabit broadband connections are being made.

As many A-level students received their results yesterday, uSwitch, a broadband comparison website, released research offering an alternative university league table. The league table was research of where students would get the best broadband speeds.

Internet speeds in rural areas are currently just a fifth of advertised broadband speeds, according to data released by the House of Commons. This has led to calls to ban adverts that mislead consumers into buying internet packages that do not offer the full advertised speed.

The rollout of superfast broadband in Staffordshire has significantly boosted local businesses in the area. The Lymedale Business Centre in Newcastle was the first place in the county to have access to fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology and are already reaping the rewards.

Broadband companies could see their average speeds drop by up to 25 per cent after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) issued a review into the way firms advertise speeds that only 10 per cent of the country can receive.

According to a coalition made up of leading ISP companies, one in four Britons are unhappy with their internet service.

A leaked proposal has revealed that the European Commission wants broadband to be a right for all and, furthermore, wants national governments to pay for the costs.

According to the latest government figures, broadband rollout has meant superfast speeds are available to over four million households and businesses.

The first phase of broadband rollout in Telford is set to be completed a whole nine months ahead of schedule according to the Superfast Telford partnership that is leading the project.

Broadband prices could increase if the government goes ahead with implementing its universal service obligation (USO), according to a statement made by the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA).