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Best “superfast” broadband coverage in UK claimed for Bristol

Steve Woods Local IT News, Media and Content, National IT News Comments Off on Best “superfast” broadband coverage in UK claimed for Bristol

image of fibre optic cableToday’s Bristol Post features a report entitled “Bristol best in UK for superfast broadband coverage“.

To quote from the Post piece:

You might think the capital would have the best superfast broadband coverage in the country.

But it is Bristol which tops the UK instead. Figures from thinkbroadband.com, complied [sic] by the Computer Business Review, show the city has the fastest download and upload speeds.

And quoting yet again from the same source:

Bristol has been gunning to be a UK tech hub has the best coverage in the country [sic], with 97.2 per cent of the area having access to superfast broadband.

Spurred on by this somewhat garbled information and determined to check its accuracy (The Bristol Post has a reputation locally for not being completely accurate at all times. Ed.), we tracked down the original Computer Business Review article, which says the following about Bristol and its broadband:

Bristol, which is gunning for a position as another UK tech hub, tops the list with overall superfast coverage of 97.2 percent.

This penetration gives it a download speed of 30.6 Mbps and upload of 5.4 Mbps. Bristol has used its existing infrastructure, a network of ducts built in the 1970s, to roll out fibre at a low cost.

According to the Computer Business Review rankings, the top 10 connected UK cities are (reported coverage follows in brackets. Ed.):

  1. Bristol (97.2%)
  2. Birmingham (95.2%)
  3. Liverpool (94.8%)
  4. Bradford (93.9%)
  5. Leeds (93.5%)
  6. Edinburgh (93%)
  7. London (92.6%)
  8. Manchester (91.9%)
  9. Glasgow (89.8%)
  10. Sheffield (83.7%)

According to the government’s definition, “superfast” broadband is connectivity with a minimum speed of 30 Mbps. However, even in fortunate Bristol, we all too often hear of poor connectivity (sometimes right next to BT exchanges. Ed.), particularly from the city’s digital and creative sectors, to whom good connectivity is essential for commercial success.

Do you live in Bristol or any of the other cities mentioned? What’s your experience of local “superfast” broadband connectivity? Tell us in the comments below.