Scotland trailing on superfast broadband
Superfast broadband is now available to almost three quarters of UK homes – but only 52 per cent of properties in Scotland, an Ofcom report has revealed.
The figure is up from 45 per cent last year, but only 9 per cent of rural homes have access to the service, compared with a quarter across the whole of Britain, according to the watchdog’s “Infrastructure” report.
More than half of Scotland is not covered by any 3G operator, the report showed, while more than a quarter cannot even get access to basic 2G coverage.
Technology experts said that anyone with slower broadband would have to wait 11 hours to download a Blu-ray film.
“The Scots are trailing well behind England and Northern Ireland when it comes to superfast availability – frustrating for anyone suffering sluggish speeds,” said Marie-Louise Abretti, broadband expert at uSwitch.com.
“With mobile internet not up to scratch in Scotland either, Ofcom’s report makes for grim reading.
“There is a glimmer of hope as EE has plans to roll out 4G to rural areas, but the network has suggested these plans may be put on hold if Ofcom increases spectrum fees,” she said.
A total of 4.8 million people across Britain are now using superfast services – more than double that in the previous year.
Consumers are also making far greater use of public wifi hotspots – which allow them to access fixed-line internet via their mobile devices in places such as restaurants, hotels, banks, supermarkets and coffee shops.
Mobile data use in Scotland rose by 51 per cent in 2013, but still remained lower than in the UK overall. The number of public wifi hotspots doubled over the year to 34,000, as demand for the service grew.
Ed Richards, Ofcom’s chief executive, said: “Superfast broadband