Report reveals north/south broadband divide
The north/south divide in the UK has been extended to include broadband coverage, new research has revealed.
The latest annual report from The Centre for Cities has explored the quality and availability of broadband across the UK and found that businesses operating in the south generally have better broadband services than those in the north.
Described as an "annual health check of the largest cities and towns", the study shows a clear difference between north and south when it comes to superfast broadband, meaning businesses in need of faster internet might need to consider where they have their offices. Seven of the 10 ‘best’ cities highlighted by the report were located in the south of the UK, while nine of the 10 ‘worst’ cities for internet were located in the north.
Luton emerged as the best town or city in the UK for superfast broadband, with 88.9 per cent of the area’s postcodes having access to internet speeds of 30Mb or above. Other cities on the south coast featured prominently at the top of the list, including the likes of Brighton, Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Plymouth.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Hull was named as the worst connected area, and by a considerable margin. In total just 12.9 per cent of people living in and around Hull can access superfast broadband on their fixed line connections. This problem was triggered by the fact that only one company supplied to the area.
Blackburn came in second on the list of the UK’s worst connected towns or cities although more than half of its residents can access superfast broadband, illustrating just how far adrift Hull is. Norwich was the city furthest south to be named in the 10 worst places for internet services.
According to the report, 72.9 per cent of connections in the UK can now get superfast speeds, though residents located in the cities are 1.5 times more likely to have access to the service than their rural dwelling counterparts.
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