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UK Ranked 35 out of 200 Countries for Average Broadband ISP Speed

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Bowdon:
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2018/07/uk-slips-to-35th-in-global-country-ranking-by-average-broadband-speed.html


--- Quote ---New data from research group M-Lab and Cable.co.uk has revealed that for 2018 the United Kingdom delivered an average (mean) broadband download speed of just 18.57Mbps (up from 16.51Mbps in 2017) and ranks 35th fastest in the world (down from 31st) versus 200 other countries.

The research itself stems from information gathered via 160 million speed tests, which were carried out across the world. We note that the average UK speed of 18.57Mbps (Megabits per second) is well below the 46.2Mbps recorded by Ofcom’s recent fixed line broadband speeds report for 2018 and is also way off the 50.16Mbps reported by Ookla’s (Speedtest.net) study published earlier this year. Admittedly Ofcom and Ookla used different methodologies to M-Lab but that’s still a big gap.

The M-Lab data is useful for understanding our country’s place in the world, although it’s worth reminding readers that such reports make for a poor gauge when considering the actual availability of faster networks. At present it’s estimated that around 95%+ of premises are within reach of a fixed “superfast broadband” (24Mbps+) service – this should rise to 98% by 2020 – and in at least that respect we’re ahead of most EU states.

Crucially somewhere around 45% of home broadband lines in the UK are still connecting via slow pure copper ADSL services, even though faster networks are often available in those same areas (i.e. a lot of people haven’t upgraded due to various reasons such as a lack of awareness, higher prices, fear of switching, satisfaction with their existing package etc.).

Lest we forget that lots of other problems can also skew results extracted from speedtests, such as slow WiFi, consumer package choice or local network congestion (e.g. running a speedtest at the same time as somebody else is downloading a big file). On the other hand, if we assume that other countries will face the same issues then the new ranking remains a useful indicator of progress and take-up, provided it’s taken in the correct context.
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--- Quote ---    Greg Mesch, CityFibre CEO, said:

    “Seeing the UK falling even further behind other EU countries [for broadband speed] is depressing but not surprising, given the UK’s lack of investment in fibre to the premises and other nations’ new networks increasingly coming online. This situation must change – and quickly – as successfully rolling out this superior digital infrastructure is critical for the success of the UK economy and our ability to compete internationally.

    Companies are now investing billions to bring this technology to the UK, but this will only be successful with the Government’s full support. The place to start is putting a stop to the misleading use of the word fibre in broadband advertising, so that consumers know that when they see fibre, it is a fibre to the premises connection they are buying. Copper is dead: it is time for the UK to embrace full fibre – no ifs, no buts.”
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--- Quote ---    An Openreach Spokesperson said:

    “It’s encouraging that this report shows UK broadband speeds have increased 12.5% since 2017.

    Britain already has the largest digital economy in the G20, with the internet responsible for an estimated 12.4% of GDP. But we know there is more to do, which is why we are in the process of hiring 3500 engineers to support us with the roll out of ultrafast fibre to 3 million more people by 2020.”
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I don't know if its just me, but I found the OR reply abit of an odd one. It's like someone hasnt fully read the report or responded directly to it. But just put out a standard statement.

I think whether it be from Ofcom or copper profits, copper is holding Openreach back, and they really need to start arguing the case against it to Ofcom, maybe gathering other ISP's on-board too. We know ISP's are keen to sign up to full fibre, with TalkTalk investing in it, Vodafone teaming up with CityFibre. I still think a deal between Sky and BT/OR could be done for full fibre as Sky are moving their broadcasts from the satalite dish to over broadband/fibre connections, so its in their interest to make sure their customers have the best connection they can get.

Black Sheep:
I'm neither 'pro' nor 'anti' ... the latest survey ... got far better things to be getting on with to be honest.

But regarding the Openreach comment you mention, this smacks of one of two things ...

1) 'A spokesperson' (un-named) is pure poetic licence to print what they like.

2) The spokesperson DOES exist but they are doing what they do very well indeed ... 'spinning' .... finding the one positive out of a bag of negatives and concentrating solely on that.

Either way, I won't be letting the latest results bring down the mood of the nation (or at least my circle of friends and family), at the moment !! Sun is shining, we're on the cusp of being in a WC Final ..... life is good.  ;) ;D ;D ;D

Ronski:
Talk Talk are building their own fibre network,  why would they want to encourage OR to build one as well, and if they have a way of holding OR back then I'm sure they will do their up most to do that. LLU is holding back OR, and TT have a lot of sway with that. All companies are ultimately interested in what's good for them, not their or others customers.

Bowdon:
I was meaning TalkTalk investing in the full fibre concept, not investing in OR.

I suspect that a deal between Sky and BT/OR is the only potential deal OR could get at the moment as both companies seem to have done a lot of business together recently.

Ronski:
@Bowdon you misunderstood the point I was making, if TT persuade Ofcom to decrease regulation on copper then this will help OR which will hurt TT by making things easier for OR to compete against it.

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