EU source admits slow fibre broadband progress

Progress on the rollout of fibre optic broadband across Europe has been slow, an EU source has admitted.

Ryan Heath, spokesperson of EU Digital Agenda commissioner Neelie Kroes, said the bloc is "doing very well" in terms of access to mobile and standard broadband, but the penetration of super-fast services is less impressive.

"This does not mean that there is no fast broadband, but so far it is coming from other sources like cable and fibre-copper combinations rather than pure fibre to the home," he was quoted by EurActiv as saying.

According to EU figures, only 6.5 per cent of broadband connections in member states offer speeds of at least 30Mbps, even though the executive aims to have universal coverage by 2020.

In the UK, BT has rolled out fibre optic broadband technology to more than seven million homes and businesses, with the customer base standing at just over 400,000 in the final quarter of last year.