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The UK’s broadband has been ranked 25th out of 66 countries in terms of quality, according to new research.
The global study on the quality of broadband connections, conducted by MBA students at Oxford University and the University of Oviedo in Spain, set out to show how prepared countries were for next-generation web applications and services.
South Korea led the table, while Sweden came top in Europe, with four of its cities appearing in the 20 cities with the best quality connections. No British cities achieved a ranking.
The study found that only nine countries – South Korea, Japan, Sweden, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Latvia, the Netherlands, Denmark and Romania – had the broadband quality required for future web applications, such as HD Internet TV viewing and high-quality video communications that are set to become mainstream in the next 3 to 5 years.
Researchers conducted by study by combining data for each country’s broadband penetration with a measure of the quality of broadband services experienced by its residents.
“By comparing the broadband quality of countries in the same stage of economic development, we have a view of which countries are over-achieving for their stage of development," said Alastair Nicholson, an associate fellow at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.
Top 25 countries for broadband quality:
1. South Korea
2. Japan
3. Hong Kong
4. Sweden
5. Switzerland
6. Netherlands
7. Singapore
8. Luxembourg
9. Denmark
10. Norway
11. Malta
12. Iceland
13. Australia
14. Lithuania
15. USA
16. Ireland
17. Canada
18. France
19. Estonia
20. Belgium
21. Finland
22. Slovenia
23. Taiwan
24. Latvia
25. UK
