UK 24th for broadband value

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The UK has been ranked 24th in a global league table for broadband value, far behind Hong Kong in first place.

Japan and Romania were in second and third respectively in the Point Topic quarterly table, which ranked countries on how much a consumer pays for a megabit of bandwidth.

One reason why the UK did not appear in the top ten may have been because of a lack in fibre broadband offerings.

“Nine of the ten best value tariffs are either pure fibre or hybrid offerings where fibre is a significant part of the local loop,” explained Fiona Vanier, senior analyst at Point Topic.

Whilst the UK is not too high up the table this time around, Point Topic noted rankings could shift very quickly.

For instance, if operators upgraded networks or introduced a new tariff, then value may well improve in the relevant nation.

Globally, average broadband prices slightly increased but Point Topic said wider implementation of fibre services could help provide greater value for consumers.

“Bandwidth will continue to increase as fibre edges closer to the consumer,” Vanier explained.

"Higher speeds generally mean better value for the consumer. All that remains is to work out how best to use it.”

Last month, BT questioned Virgin Media’s 100Mbps pricing, suggesting the costs were too high, especially in the current economic climate.

Recent research from Akamai, meanwhile, found in the first quarter of 2010 the UK was 27th in a table ranking nations' broadband speeds.

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