The UK’s average broadband speeds rose by more than a third last year while the number of homes with super-fast broadband more than doubled, according to new research by Ofcom.
The telecoms regulator says average actual UK speed has risen by a third (3.1Mbit/s or 34%) in the six months from May to November 2012, as take-up of ‘superfast’ services increased.
Average fixed-line residential broadband speeds have more than trebled in the last four years, from 3.6Mbit/s in November 2008 to 12.0Mbit/s.
In addition, the percentage of customers on packages with advertised speeds above ‘up to’ 10Mbit/s has risen to 77%, up from 58% a year earlier.
Meanwhile the number of customers with connections classed as ‘superfast’ – products with an advertised speed of ‘up to’ 30Mbit/s or above – has risen to 13%, up from 5% in November 2011.
Ed Richards, Ofcom Chief Executive, said: “Our research shows that UK consumers are adopting faster broadband packages to cater for their increasing use of bandwidth-heavy services such as video streaming. The increase in the average number of connected devices in UK homes is also driving the need for speed.
“Internet providers are working to meet consumer demand through network upgrades and the launch of superfast packages, giving consumers faster speeds and greater choice.”