Govt broadband map reveals fibre broadband coverage

A new map of the UK's communications services shows fibre optic broadband is available to 58 per cent of the population.

Published as part of the government's National Infrastructure Plan, the map reveals significant differences in super-fast broadband between each nation.

Some 97 per cent of people in Northern Ireland are able to access fibre broadband connectivity, compared to 40 per cent in Scotland and 30 per cent in Wales.

A document released alongside the map said: "Current regional performance looks particularly weak as far as coverage of super-fast broadband is concerned."

Earlier this year, Ofcom published what it described as the UK's first interactive fixed-line broadband map, revealing 68 per cent of properties have one of these connections.

The average maximum speed of these lines is 7.5Mbps, excluding fibre optic broadband services, but 14 per cent of customers can only receive rates of less than 2Mbps.

However, some of these subscribers could improve the performance of their broadband connection by making changes to their in-home wiring, Ofcom claimed.