Ofcom has found that broadband speeds across the UK increased throughout 2018, with the number of homes and small businesses that cannot access a ‘decent’ connection halving, ComputerWeekly.com reported.

A ‘decent’ connection is one that offers 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload speeds. The annual report, Connected Nations, noted that although broadband speeds have been increasing across the country, 677,000 homes and businesses remain without a decent connection, with 73 per cent of these located in rural areas.

Elsewhere, Ofcom has announced a series of new measures to encourage network providers to improve coverage in rural areas. Ofcom is due to auction a new 700Mhz spectrum network next year, with the winning operators required to provide coverage from 500 new masts in rural areas.

Ofcom also noted that 83 per cent of urban homes and offices have complete 4G coverage, while the figure is less than half (41 per cent) in rural areas.

Full articles:

→ Computer Weekly - Broadband coverage improved through 2018, says Ofcom

→ The Guardian - Almost 700,000 UK homes stuck with slow broadband

→ Farming UK - Major win for rural mobile coverage as Ofcom announce new measures