'Nul points' no more as UK tops Euro superfast broadband charts

'Nul points' no more as UK tops the European superfast broadband charts
Brits now have more fibre in their web surfing diets

After years of trailing its major European rivals, the UK now leads the way when it comes to access and adoption of superfast broadband deals, an annual Ofcom study has revealed.

75 per cent of homes in the UK now have access to speeds of 30Mbps of greater, which is higher than fellow European heavyweight economies Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

The Ofcom European Broadband Scorecard revealed more Brits were also making use of the enhanced speeds - 9 in 100 households - than those in aforementioned countries.

The adoption rates have been assisted by the average speed of broadband in the UK doubling to 18Mbps in the last two years. However, 9 in 100 households still doesn't sound like a lot does it?

Awareness too low, price too high?

That, according to the experts at uSwitch, may be due to a lack the prohibitive pricing of superfast options and a lack of awareness from consumers who don't know the tech is available to them.

"There seems to be a worrying lack of awareness concerning superfast broadband," said Ernest Doku of uSwitch.

"Our own research showed that only a quarter of consumers were aware they could receive it in their area. Price also looks to remain a major barrier, with almost half of those consulted who didn't have super-fast broadband citing it as being too costly."

The cost of superfast is coming down, while Virgin is upping its speeds of its packages for only incremental price increases. The company is also laying claim to the UK's fastest broadband at 152Mbps. Ofcom could do with more Brits experiencing those kind of speeds if the UK's chart topping positions are to be maintained.

Via CNET

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.