Fibre broadband helps to boost average UK connection speeds

The growing availability of fibre broadband services has helped to bring the average UK connection speed to 9Mbps, according to a new report from Ofcom.

Research carried out by the telecoms regulator in May 2012 shows that broadband speeds across the country are now two-and-a-half times faster than in November 2008, when Ofcom's speeds research commenced.

The launch of superfast fibre services such as Virgin Media's up to 60Mbps package and the BT Infinity 2 up to 76Mbps package were credited with driving this increase, with the migration of consumers to faster services now gaining momentum.

People across the UK are benefiting from providers' efforts to upgrade their networks, such as BT's recent work to enhance its fibre-to-the-cabinet service, which enabled the launch of the 76Mbps deal.

Ed Richards, Ofcom's chief executive, said this proliferation of fibre broadband technology is giving consumers "faster speeds and greater choice".

Despite this, the UK still lags behind South Korea, the world leader for connection speeds, with a recent Akamai report showing that the nation receives average speeds of 15.7Mbps.