UK leading Europe for superfast broadband

The UK is outperforming the major European economies when it comes to superfast broadband and will be among the best performing countries worldwide by 2018, according to new research by Analysys Mason.

The research firm’s ‘international benchmark of superfast broadband’ report found the UK to “ahead of its European peers” when considering factors including coverage, take-up, average speeds and prices.

More than 70% of UK premises could access superfast broadband at the end of 2012 – compared to 66% in Germany, the next best-performing country – and is tipped to rise to 95% by 2018, said Analysys Mason.

Adoption was also higher in the UK at the end of 2012 than the other major European countries, at 18% of premises.

By 2018, the report predicts this will rise to 51% in the UK, compared to a Western European average of 42%.

Overall, the study said that the UK is the “most-competitive broadband market out of all countries featured in the report”–which also looked at France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden in Europe.

“This report shows that the UK does very well on most superfast broadband benchmarks today and that by 2018 it will continue to outpace its major European competitors and even outperform Japan and the USA on some measures,” said Analysys Mason Partner Matt Yardley.

By 2018, the UK’s 95% superfast broadband coverage is expected to exceed the US at 85% and Japan at 94%, and fall just short of South Korea at 98%, said Analysys Mason.