Ofcom confirm broadband networks stand firm during pandemic

13 May 2020 04:05 PM

Broadband networks have stood firm in the face of increased demand due to the impact of COVID-19.

Ofcom yesterday confirmed average UK broadband speeds largely held up during the COVID-19 lockdown despite rising demand from home working, online lessons and TV streaming.

Ofcom's Home Broadband Performance Report shows how broadband speeds changed before and after the lockdown. 

Home broadband providers have reported an increase of between 35 per cent and 60 per cent in weekday daytime traffic since the lockdown began.

Additionally, the report shows that broadband speeds in rural areas are catching up to those in towns and cities, through they still lag behind those in urban areas. The proportion of rural lines receiving at least superfast broadband during peak times continues to increase – from 44 per cent in 2018 to 56 per cent in 2019 – while the proportion not receiving a decent connection at peak times fell from 33 per cent to 22 per cent.

Ofcom also published their Connected Nations spring update, which looks at broadband availability and mobile coverage in the UK in January 2020, before the outbreak of COVID-19 in the UK.

It contains lots of very insightful statistics including:

Link to Ofcom's Home Broadband Performance Report

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/telecoms-research/broadband-research/home-broadband-performance-2019

Link to Ofcom's Connected Nations spring update 

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/connected-nations-update-spring-2020