Fylde small rural firms hampered by sluggish broadband

Poor broadband and mobile coverage are still holding small businesses back, particularly in rural areas.
Mike CherryMike Cherry
Mike Cherry

The annual Ofcom Connected Nations report shows that while superfast availability has increased, only 90 per cent of small businesses are able to access superfast speeds (download speed of at least 30 Mbit/s) - an increase of only one per cent on last year.

The statistics show 18 per cent of rural small businesses still need a decent connection (download speed of 10Mbit/s), which would be provided by the Universal Service Obligation.

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While 83 per cent of urban homes and offices have complete 4G coverage, the report shows rural premises get less than half that (41 per cent).

Responding to the new figures, the Federation of Small Businesses says it is imperative that small businesses are connected to a basic level of broadband without delay.

Mike Cherry, FSB National Chairman, said: “Access to fast and reliable broadband and good mobile signal is vital for small businesses. These statistics demonstrate that more work needs to be done so that small businesses across the UK don’t get left behind.”