Government action on broadband puts UK ahead of European peers
THE UK government’s approach to extending superfast broadband access costs less than state sponsored initiatives in other countries.
This is part of the reason that the UK will outperform its European peers on telecoms performance for the next five years, and will become one of the best performing countries in the world by 2020, according to research from Analysys Mason.
The UK is already ahead of the four other major European countries – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – on measures such as superfast broadband coverage and speeds, according to the report. It also “compares well with the countries often cited as the most advanced in the world, like Japan and South Korea”.
The report said the government is also exploiting private-sector investment to a greater degree in providing superfast coverage in rural areas.
“The debate continues to rage over how the UK fares when it comes to broadband speeds, coverage and pricing, and this report shows it is doing very well,” said Analysys Mason’s Matt Yardley. “The earlier and more rapid roll out of superfast connectivity has resulted in higher adoption in the UK than in the other European countries.”