West Berkshire leading the way in rural broadband

West Berkshire has the best rural broadband, as well as the highest median download speed in the UK, according to new research by Thinkbroadband.

The study, which ranks local authorities by the average broadband speed possible if everyone in the area bought the fastest available service, found that West Berkshire has 98.4% superfast broadband coverage and average mean best case download speeds of 355 mbps, which is exceeded only by urban areas of Bournemouth and parts of central London.

West Berkshire is one of only three non-London authorities in the top ten, and is the only rural authority recognised as having exceptional upload and download speeds.

Speaking about the findings, Anthony Chadley, West Berkshire’s Executive Member for Economic Development, said:

“We are thrilled to see the results of this study as they are testament to the significant effort West Berkshire Council has put in to boosting broadband coverage across the area and are further proof that we have the right infrastructure to support companies of any size.

“The fact that our broadband speeds are better than most of London, as well as any other major city in the UK, is something to be proud of and shows that West Berkshire offers not only excellent lifestyles opportunities for residents, but also the best possible conditions for business and industry

“The work doesn’t stop here, though. Making West Berkshire a fantastic place to do business is one of our main priorities as a council; which is why we intend to increase our superfast coverage even further, and will have achieved full rollout by 2020.

“West Berkshire is leading the way and is living proof that rurality and world class broadband speeds can go hand-in-hand.”