This is an interesting BBC article referencing some research done by the regulator Ofcom, and a report by the Community Broadband Network on funding options for the problem of the last 10% in the UK - the rural hard to reach places which include much of Cumbria.

Ofcom appear to be saying that the average broadband speed has trebled in the last 4 years to 12 Mb/s, but when you look into the figures, actually it is the contracted headline broadband speed that has trebled and not necessarily the actual speed of connection enjoyed by the subscriber.

Both of the major providers in the UK, BT and Virgin Media, have recently doubled their headline speeds on all contracts, which will have led to a speed increase for some subscribers whose line would support a higher speed, but for many there will have been no change. For me in Garsdale my contracted broadband speed went from 8 Mb/s to 16 Mb/s with BT, but actually we've never had as much as 2 Mb/s, so for Ofcom to claim speeds are increasing on this basis seems unfair.

By way of analogy, the Department for Transport could claim that congestion is improving because they've surveyed car sales and cars are getting faster.

The danger is that this metric is cited as proof of improving broadband in the UK, when the metric we need Ofcom to concentrate on is the speeds people actually connect at and enjoy - not a theoretical maximum service rate.

This said, the Ofcom research does indicate that broadband speeds are increasingly important and will likely continue to be so.

From John Colton, Technical Director.