UK broadband landscape in comparison with the rest of the Europe

With the European Commission publishing its first Digital Scorecard report, V3.co.uk picks out some of the most interesting graphs from the interactive data section of the report, to see how the UK is performing in comparison with the rest of the nations in the European Union.

As you can see, the UK has stayed consistently ahead of the curve for broadband access.

This has meant that most households in the UK have internet access at home, at a growth increase almost identical to that of Europe.

Since 3G coverage has been available within Europe the UK has been ahead of the trend, although that gap is closing.

Most firms are well aware of the benefits of having broadband connections to help facilitate their business, with only a fraction still on dial-up or not online at all.

Many large enterprises use online access to generate sales, although the UK was hit hard by the recession as many firms went out of business or cut down on online investments.

SMEs have also been quick to embrace the internet, but were also hit hard by the recession.

The government, always keen to try and promote online interaction with its citizens, has managed to entice a proportion of the population to contact it digitally, and is starting to pull away, for the second time, from its EU neighbours.

However, the UK is slipping when it comes to letting firms bid for tenders online, something the government has been criticised over before.

Since 2005 the UK has seen a notable decrease in the number of people yet to ever experience the internet, staying below the EU as it does so.

The UK are also a creative bunch, with more people creating and uploading content such as photos, videos and blogs than the EU average.

All images courtesy of the European Commission.

31 May 2011