UK needs universal superfast broadband, says CWU

2 March 2011

Responding to research released by Ofcom today (Wednesday) showing broadband speeds falling below advertised rates, the Communication Workers Union says the UK needs universal superfast broadband.

In the last decade internet access speeds across the UK have increased as consumers have migrated from dial-up to broadband and internet service providers (ISPs) have offered packages at higher advertised 'up to' speeds. Ofcom's research shows that the average broadband speed is now 6.2Mbit/s but is still less than half (45 per cent) of the average advertised broadband speed of 13.8Mbit/s.

Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, said:“Ofcom's research masks a bigger problem for internet customers. Many households, particularly in rural areas, don't have access to broadband and many are relying on functional internet speeds which fall far below Ofcom's average speed.

“CWU believes all citizens should have access to superfast broadband. Without a planned country-wide rollout, we face a digital divide which will leave rural residents and businesses behind.”

Andy Kerr, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “Superfast broadband is crucial for a strong UK economy. Today's research shows that while improvements have been made in residential broadband speeds, many households are still getting less than they expect from their broadband providers.

“We believe that a government-led programme of investment in superfast broadband infrastructure is essential to prevent the UK slipping behind our European and global competitors. The internet brings in £100 billion to the UK economy and that will continue to grow as e-commerce expands. Early investment in universal broadband will pay dividends many times over so we urge swift action to put the UK at the head of the superfast broadband revolution.”

The Communication Workers Union is the biggest trade union representing staff in the telecoms and broadband industry in the UK.

In October 2010, internet search giant Google produced a report called The Connected Kingdom: How the Internet is Transforming the UK Economy, which put the value of the internet to the UK economy at £100 billion, more than 7 per cent of national income, and revealed it employs 250,000 people and is growing by 10 per cent a year.

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