Rural broadband speeds still slower

Longer distances from exchange may mean slower service in rural areas, says survey

Rural areas "have slower broadband connections"

Internet users in London enjoy broadband connections nearly twice as fast as anywhere else in Britain, according to a survey by Thinkbroadband.com.

London's average speed was 4.5Mbit/s, but in Northern Ireland it was 2.3Mit/s; in Wales 2.5Mbit/s, while Scotland clocked in at 2.8 Mbit/s.

In May, telecoms watchdog Ofcom reported that the "digital divide" had been closed after research found that homes in rural areas were just as likely to have broadband as those in city homes.

But rural homes may be getting a slower service because of greater distances from telephone exchanges and lack of access to cable, according to the study.