Local internet users urged to fill in rural broadband survey

Previous research has shown that some of the slowest national broadband speeds can be found in Northern Ireland, with Larne making the bottom 50 slowest spots in the UK list.

With recent concerns over the state of broadband in the UK alongside fresh criticism of the government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), a new website has been launched to look into the gap in broadband internet performance.

The 2013 UK Rural Broadband Survey (ruralbroadbandsurvey.com) combines a short questionnaire about quality of service received with an automatic speed test to build up a picture of the service experienced by internet users in different areas across the UK.

The new study launches amid concerns over the state of broadband in the UK and fresh criticism of the government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) scheme, which aims to connect 12 million rural households with broadband internet

The study is backed by Satellite ISP Bentley Walker (bentley-walker.com/tooway). Bentley Walker provide internet via satellite to users requiring broadband access in remote locations around the world.

Neil Denyer, sales manager for Bentley Walker, said: “In the UK, the demand for fast, reliable broadband is now developing faster than the infrastructure to support it outside of our towns and cities. As a result we’re seeing increasing demand in the UK from customers who are no longer satisfied with slow connections. Being involved in the Rural Broadband Survey is a great way for us to better understand where the wired network is falling short.”

The test takes just a couple of minutes to complete on all but the very worst of connections.