A survey by USwitch.com has uncovered how different parts of the UK enjoy different broadband speeds, and how even some of those which are purported to have high broadband speeds actually experience far lower speeds in practice.
According to the survey, the towns currently enjoying the fastest average broadband speeds are Belfast at 12.25 Mb; Bournemouth at 11.41 Mb; and Poole at 11.22 Mb.
The survey was carried out against positive news from Ofcom which had identified a 10% increase in average broadband speeds across the UK since the end of 2010, resulting in an average UK attainment of 6.8Mb.
The survey also found however that there were some instances where speeds of 15 Mb were being claimed which, in practice, turned out to be closer to around the UK average.
The news is perhaps a salutary reminder to those companies looking to take full advantage of the benefits of high speed broadband without first checking whether the service they have chosen is sufficiently robust.
In some instances the paucity of the broadband signal has been down to geographical factors, with rural areas in particular tending not to be reached as effectively as more economically attractive urban centres.
In other instances, however, poor quality broadband can be the result of businesses choosing an internet service provider more suitable for the less demanding needs of consumers than the rigorous commercial world.
Without broadband of a sufficiently high speed, value added features such as internet protocol (IP) telephony and business VoIP (voice over internet protocol) can be extremely difficult to adopt, even with the assistance of a business VoIP provider or VoIP reseller.
The finding that Bournemouth enjoys one of the fastest broadband speeds in the country coincides with the recent installation in the area by TalkTalk Business of what it describes as ‘business grade’ broadband exchanges.
