COLCHESTER has been named as one of the worst areas in the country for "decent" full fibre broadband speeds.

Ofcom's The Connected Nations Report has revealed some of the worst and best Essex areas for speedy internet.

The findings detail the different towns and cities in the country which are not up to the mark when it comes to offering high-speed broadband.

The document suggests a "decent" full fibre broadband speed is defined at least ten megabits per second with upload speeds above one megabits per second.

Colchester, Braintree, and Maldon have been named in league table.

According to the UK’s communications regulator, only 28 per cent of homes in Colchester (24,743 homes) are currently getting "decent" full fibre broadband, a figure which has seen it ranked 291 out of the 374 areas included.

The UK average, meanwhile, is 52 per cent, which equates to 15.4 million households.

Gazette: The Ofcom reports reveals the UK has reached the 50% full fibre milestoneThe Ofcom reports reveals the UK has reached the 50% full fibre milestone (Image: County Broadband)

Maldon and Braintree, however, have both outperformed the UK’s first Roman city, with 71 per cent of homes (21,964 homes) in Maldon and 60 per cent (43,575 homes) in Braintree securing good full fibre connectivity. 

The report is based on findings from April and May 2023 and states although half of the country has passed the threshold for full fibre access, about 62,000 homes in the UK are still without a suitable level of speed.

James Salmon is the director of corporate development at County Broadband, a company which installs full fibre broadband,

Speaking about the newly published Ofcom report he said: “It’s positive to see the UK as a whole has reached the 50 per cent full fibre milestone but it’s clear there are significant regional variations.

Gazette: Full fibre broadband delivers fibre cables directly into the property enabling download and upload speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps Full fibre broadband delivers fibre cables directly into the property enabling download and upload speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps (Image: County Broadband)

"Whilst Colchester certainly isn’t in the full fibre relegation zone, it has slipped behind on the national league table whilst Maldon and Braintree surge ahead.

"Homes and businesses will be well aware of the postcode lottery when it comes to decent broadband access, which for many is now the fourth utility.

"The importance of reliable connectivity for remote work, entertainment and accessing vital services from healthcare to education is well known.

"The average speed that customers can achieve across the UK now stands at 94Mbps which is faster than the existing copper networks can deliver.”

The Government is hoping to achieve full nationwide full fibre broadband coverage by the year 2030.