New website to track Uk' problem broadband areas

A new website launched by Thinkbroadband aims to expose the problem of broadband ‘notspots’ and 'slowspots' with the help of the public.

Notspots are areas where broadband services are not readily available at affordable prices and slowspots are places where people get speeds of less than 2Mbits/sec. A recent BBC survey found that around three million homes in the UK fall within these areas.

Thinkbroadbands' Broadband-notspot site will give a more accurate picture of the problem and highlight notspots across the country. It may also make Government plans for a Universal Service Obligation (USO) more feasible. This USO would require network operators to ensure that all homes in the UK have at least 2Mbits/sec services.

Andrew Ferguson, one of the founders of news and advice website Thinkbroadband, pointed out that although he agreed as a general principle with the BBC figure from the Samknows study, he warned any research still tends to be piecemeal.

““Research has been carried out. The Scottish Executive ran a study as has
the Welsh Assembly and while they have started to address the problem the data is not publically visible and as yet there is no definitive figure for the whole of the country. So we may find many of the problem areas may not be the wilds of Scotland but leafy lanes in Sussex,” he told Computeractive.

Thinkbroadband said this would also help bring together communities who can learn from each others’ experiences on getting broadband.

Sebastien Lahtinen, co-founder of Thinkbroadband, said: “The speed of broadband in the UK has been rising in recent years, and a growing elite can now browse the net at home with speeds of 50Mbits/sec or even more, but many homes remain with speeds below 2Mbits/sec and in some cases with no connection at all.

“We aim to expose the true extent of this problem with broadband-notspot and to help consumers get together and coordinate campaigns to make sure they are not left behind in Digital Britain.

"We’re calling on all consumers and businesses that can’t get affordable broadband, or are only able to get slow speeds, to register on this site. The research will also highlight how [slow broadband services] could be detrimental to the economy, then possibly Government assistance may be more forthcoming.”