UK outdone by superfast European broadband

Average broadband speeds in the UK are failing to keep pace with those of its continental neighbours, according to the latest quarterly State of the Internet report, produced by Akamai.

Akamai’s latest statistics revealed the UK has dropped from a reported fifth place in Europe in October 2013 to 12^th place today. 

However, average speeds in the UK grew by more than 30% year-on-year after Broadband Delivery UK began to bear some fruit.

Average connection speed in the UK for the third quarter of 2014 was measured at 10.7Mbps, and average peak connection speed was 46.8Mbps.

This was close to 8Mbps slower than regional leader Switzerland, where average speeds hit 14.5Mbps. It was also slower than the likes of Ireland at 13.9Mbps and Romania at 11.3Mbps.

Globally, the UK ranked 19^th for average connection speed and 20^th for average peak connection speed, and it failed to meet Akamai’s criteria for inclusion on the 4K-ready section of the report.

The worldwide average speed of 4.5Mbps remained above the 4Mbps broadband threshold for the second consecutive quarter, with many markets – including Singapore and Ireland – increasing their average speeds by 10% or more on a quarter-by-quarter basis.

Editor of the report David Belson said the number of announcements related to connected devices and smart homes at the 2015 International CES showed consumers are continuing to adopt and expect more from connected technology and services.

“The strong year-over-year growth trends illustrated in this quarter’s report show the internet is evolving and expanding to meet the growing demands of our increasingly connected lifestyles,” he said.

When it came to average mobile connection speeds, the ongoing 4G roll-out saw the UK positioned comfortably close to the top with speeds of 8.1Mbps putting it second only to Slovakia, where average speeds were more than 10Mbps. 

The UK’s peak average mobile speed was 51Mbps.