UK still lagging behind in global broadband race

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When it comes to the race that is getting fast broadband connectivity out to its citizens, the UK is hardly off the staring blocks - in fact, we're currently languishing in spot number 21 out of 30 other countries running the same race.

So claims the latest statistics from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which highlight that the UK still has a long way to go to get ahead, let alone win, in the broadband speed stakes.

That said, the UK does slightly better when it comes to broadband penetration, coming 13th out of 30 instead of in the bottom 10.

With the OECD suggesting that broadband subscriber numbers in the areas it covers have swelled to 271 million as of June this year - a 10 per cent increase from the same period last year - it's clear that users are hungry for connectivity.

However, how that connectivity filters down to them is still different in each country. Fibre-optic networks are likely to be the area that generates most future growth, rather than DSL or cable, according to the OECD.

With its use growing quickly in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the US, and it already being well established in Japan and Korea, where does this leave the UK? Trailing behind it would seem.

But, regardless of which country you look at, further investment is needed to fuel fibre optic growth, claims the OECD.

"The economic crisis has threatened to halt this investment just as consumers and businesses are using more internet bandwidth," the report states.

"Many governments have stepped in to fill the gap using stimulus funds to pay for new broadband networks. But there is still a lot of debate about whether these investments make economic sense, particularly as governments are wading into an area which has recently been entrusted to the private sector."

Indeed, as part of the Digital Britain report's aims, the government is trying to introduce a 50 pence broadband tax to get things moving. While this has much opposition, it's a step in the right direction of recognition that more funding is needed.

"If you cut one per cent off the costs of education, electricity, health and transport you would more than pay for a fibre network," Taylor Reynolds of the OECD's technology division, was reported as saying by the BBC.

"That is the type of thinking required by countries considering rolling out next-generation networks," he added.

Under the Digital Britain plans, the aim is to get people up to 2Mbps by 2012, but when you look at the speeds other countries are enjoying, it doesn't generate that much excitment. Japan tops the list with 1Gpbs, followed by Finland at 110Mbps. Denmark, France, Iceland, Korea and Sweden all boast 100Mbps, while the Netherlands trails slightly on 60Mbps.

The two 'slowest' in the top 10 - the US and Spain - still demonstrate super-fast broadband at 50Mbps.

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