Digitally divided Britain laid bare

The extent of the digital divide with in the UK has been laid bare by new figures from communications regulator Ofcom.

It has published its first interactive broadband adoption map, which shows that while nearly 70 per cent of the UK now has broadband access, there are vast discrepancies in speeds of the service available.

Broadband penetration has reached 78 per cent in London, according to Ofcom, while in the Western Isles, that figure is just 45 per cent.

The digital chasm does not end on the matter of broadband uptake.

Across the UK, 14 per cent of broadband lines cannot reach speeds of 2Mbit/s, but in Wales that rises to 19 per cent and in Northern Ireland 23 per cent.

In Armagh, Dungannon and Fermanagh nearly a third of broadband lines cannot hit the 2Mbit/s speed threshold.

As Ofcom highlighted in its report, which accompanies the publication of the maps, there are some understandable reasons why broadband provision in rural areas is so poor.

Not all telephone exchanges in the Western Isles are broadband enabled, Ofcom said. In other rural areas, cable networks are frequently not available, so broadband services delivered over a telephone line will be dependent on the distance from the exchange. In rural areas line lengths tend to be longer, resulting in lower broadband speeds.

Meanwhile, separate research undertaken by comparison site SimplifyDigital.com shows that Britons living in rural areas are paying far higher prices for their broadband.

It analysed the average price paid per month based on postcodes. Those living in areas with multiple providers pay £8.40 per month, while those living in the poorest-served postcodes were paying nearly twice as much – £16.26.

“Unfortunately many of the UK’s poorest areas are on average also among the most expensive areas for broadband services, putting extra pressure on households with limited incomes,” said Charlie Ponsonby, chief executive of Simplifydigital.com.

The future may, however, be somewhat brighter for those living in Northern Ireland. According to Ofcom’s analysis, 97 per cent of the region is now capable of being hooked up to a superfast broadband service, compared to a national average of 58 per cent.

This is thanks to a public procurement project in Northern Ireland, led by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and including telecoms firms such as BT and Virgin Media.