Average broadband speeds in UK drop in Q3 2014

Average broadband speeds in the UK slowed down in the third quarter of 2014, according to new research.

Cloud computing firm Akamai's 'State of the Internet' report revealed that broadband speeds in the country stood at 10.7 Mb during the third quarter of last year, marking a 3.4 per cent drop.

It found that 81 per cent of broadband users in the UK now have access to speeds above 4 Mb, with more than two-thirds of users able to reach speeds in excess of 10 Mb.

Internet providers have made it their mission to help more people across the country access superfast connections, but during the third quarter of last year, the number of users who were able to get speeds of 15 Mb or more fell from 21 per cent to 20 per cent.

While the figures might be somewhat disappointing, the report highlighted the fact that broadband speeds in the UK have significantly improved year-on-year, with average speeds increasing by 17 per cent since 2013 and average global speeds going up by 25 per cent.

From a worldwide perspective, the average download speed stands at 4.5 Mb - 6.2 Mb less than that of the UK.

However, 18 countries were recorded with higher averages than the UK, including South Korea (25.3 Mb), Hong Kong (16.3 Mb), Japan (15 Mb), Switzerland (4.5 Mb) and Sweden (14.1 Mb).

A greater number of homes and businesses in the UK now have access to fibre broadband, following a move to ensure more residents in rural areas - previously cut-off from super-fast connectivity - would benefit from the technology.

Businesses are encouraged to make use of available fibre broadband connections to help boost their efficiency and productivity, which for example, could lead to the creation of more jobs.

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