Fibre broadband rollouts make UK world's tenth best connected country

A nationwide fibre optic broadband project that has been launched by the government has pushed the UK into the top ten best connected countries in the world, according to a new report.

Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) is a widespread scheme that has seen an investment of £2.5 billion and led to service provider BT rolling out superfast services all over the country.

The vast amount of money that has been injected into the project is beginning to pay dividend as Britain's average connection speed now rivals the world's best.

The report by Akamai covers the second quarter of 2013, and revealed an increase of 11 per cent in the period from March to June of this year.

However, BDUK has not come without its criticisms. So far the government has awarded every installation contract involved in the project to BT, causing some to claim it is handing the company a monopoly that is ruining competition.

Residents from rural areas all over the UK have also shared concerns that the most remote corners of the country are being excluded because they are not seen as commercially attractive.