Average UK broadband speed quadruples in five years

Throughout the UK internet users are benefiting from accelerating access speeds according to research by Ofcom. The average residential broadband speed now clocks in at 14.7Mbit/s -- around four times the speed back in November 2008 when figures were first published.

Of course, these are average figures, and the majority of web users will find that their actual connection speed is well above or below 14.7Mbit/s. One of the key factors influencing obtainable speed is location. Customers in rural areas were found to have download speeds that were less than half of those enjoyed by customers in urban areas -- 9.9Mbit/s compared to 26.4Mbit/s.

The increase in average speeds has been driven largely by a surge in the availability of "super-fast" connections -- those offering speeds of 30Mbit/s and above. In particular, Plusnet’s "up to" 76Mbit/s and Virgin Media’s "up to" 120Mbit/s cable service are likely to have bumped up the numbers. This type of connection is more widely available in urban areas, and this will come as no surprise to anyone living out in the country.

Despite the fact that average broadband speeds are increasing faster in rural areas than anywhere else, the difference in download speeds between urban and rural areas is greater than ever. This can be attributed to the availability of significantly faster services in towns and cities. "Super-fast" connections are available to rural dwellers, but far less widely.

The research also revealed that internet access speeds are fairly stable throughout the day. It seems that the days of web access slowing to a crawl in the evening are gone, although speeds do still drop off -- but only down to 88 percent of full speed on average.

If you fancy crunching the numbers yourself, the full report is available at the Ofcom website where you'll also find some analysis of the figures.