broadband "notspots" revealed by BBC

27 May 2009

The BBC has commissioned research and has found the about three million homes in the UK have broadband speeds of less than two megabits per second (2Mbps).

The government has promised to provide all homes in the UK with speeds of at least 2Mbps by 2012.

The research revealed that these spots are not limited to rural communities, many are in suburban areas and even streets in major towns. The government has pledged to implement a range of technologies to fill these gaps.

The SamKnows map offers an insight into where the homes are that the government needs to reach out to and connect to faster broadband. This map was created by comparing a sample of UK postcodes with a database of information about which providers offered services in the 5,500 telephone exchanges around the UK.

A picture of the speed of services can be determined by working out how far properties were from a particular exchange, as line length is a crucial factor in determining how fast broadband services will operate.

To get speeds of 2Mbps or more homes need to be 4km or less from an exchange.

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