A report by Point Topic has confirmed what many people thought was the case, with a distinctive north-south divide emerging with regards to UK Internet broadband penetration. The information released by Point Topic suggests that 68 cities in the UK are classed as having “high penetration” with regards to Internet services but only three of these are above an imaginary line drawn between the Wash and the Bristol Channel.
The leading areas of the UK with regards to broadband penetration are the south-east, south-west, east of England and London which enjoy penetration of around 32.9%. This compares with eight of the lower classified areas in the UK which have penetration levels of around 26.1%. The conclusions of this is report will not come as a surprise to many who have broadband connectivity around the UK as historically the vast majority of wealth in the country has tended to be centred around the South of the country and London.
While there was no data released with regards to rural broadband Internet connectivity we can assume that the far-flung regions of the North of England will be the lowest penetration areas of the country and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Will the ongoing fibre-optic network make a difference to the so-called “north-south divide”?