Just 8% of UK Businesses Suffer Broadband Speeds of Below 2Mbps

The latest annual E-Commerce and ICT Activity study from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that the vast majority (96%) of businesses in the United Kingdom have Internet access (95% use broadband) and (85.5%) of those continue to use DSL broadband technology. But superfast connectivity is growing.

The statistics, which are based on data gathered to the end of last year, reveal that 16.3% of firms have a narrowband dialup or ISDN line, 85.5% connect via DSL, 32% reported making use of ‘other fixed Internet’ broadband technologies (e.g. cable) and 57.6% made use of Mobile Broadband (3G). As usual it should be remembered that many firms will use more than one technology, such as mobile and fixed lines.

In terms of service performance it’s noted that the number of businesses subscribing to broadband with a connection speed between 30Mbps – 100Mbps has increased from 7% in 2011 to 10% in 2012. On top of that those with a speed of above 100Mbps now stand at 6% but sadly 8% are still forced onto a sub-2Mbps line.

The most common connection speed for the smallest businesses was between 2Mbps and 10Mbps (43%). By contrast, the largest (1000 or more employees) businesses were most likely to use superfast broadband, with 38% of those connecting at speeds above 100Mbps.

Take note, it’s unclear from the report whether or not “DSL” only refers to SDSL/ADSL/ADSL2+ or if it also includes superfast FTTC (VDSL) connectivity.