Press release

Many UK rural residents with poor broadband speeds travel up to 5 miles to get online

• The digital divide is real, with internet speeds ‘too slow’ for 72% of those living in rural areas
• More than a quarter of UK’s rural population is unhappy with the quality of their current internet provider
• Poor quality internet impacts 19% of those wishing to work from home, while 16% of respondents can’t connect with friends and family, and 15% are unable to shop online

 

LONDON, UK, 30 May 2019 – Recent research* by satellite broadband provider bigblu, in partnership with Konnect Europe, in the UK reveals that people living in rural areas with low quality internet must travel up to five miles to get connectivity. With more than a quarter of respondents unhappy with the quality of their current internet provider, nearly three quarters (72%) said this was because internet is too slow, while for more than half (60%) said it’s because connectivity drops.

Rural residents often have no option but to travel for internet access, costing them time and money. Rural areas in the UK are the most affected by poor quality internet or blackspots with 19% of respondents saying they can never work from home, 16% can’t connect with friends and family, while 15% are unable to shop online.

The most common way respondents connect is via broadband. In the UK, however, the digital divide is a real concern with shocking gaps in speeds between urban and rural environments making it a complicated task to get online. The minimum download speed that anyone can request is 10Mbps, however there are over 350,000 households in the UK that have speeds lower than 5Mbps, with rural areas in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the South West being the biggest contenders with speeds even lower than 2Mbps.

Andrew Walwyn, CEO, bigblu, said: ‘We live in an age where everything is connected, and we know that poor quality internet is affecting people’s lives. We are proud to serve the rural communities where satellite broadband is the best, and often the only option for good internet connectivity. This way rural communities will be able to benefit from all the advantages that high-speed internet brings, be that connecting with friends and family, working from home, or shopping online, nothing needs to be compromised’.

Bigblu, the satellite broadband provider, is on a mission to provide the best service and high-speed internet in hard to reach places, connecting people, businesses, and professionals alike. Using the latest technologies, satellite broadband caters to the needs of those rural communities where fibre broadband is either unavailable or is too slow and unreliable.

Bigblu PR contact
Raluca Racasan
raluca.racasan@archetype.co
07738 720 199

For more details on bigblu go to bigblu.co.uk or call 01869 722 827.
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Note to editors
*Research conducted with 2256 ABC1 homeowners who live in rural areas with a minimum of 250 respondents in each of the following regions: South West, South East, East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in Great Britain between 03-24 April 2019. About bigblu Bigblu Broadband PLC is an international AIM listed company connecting people, businesses and professionals to high-speed internet access in hard to reach places. Bigblu believes that better connections open unlimited opportunities and they partner with like-minded people and use advanced technologies to deliver fibre-like speeds from the sky.

They challenge convention and work tirelessly to go beyond, bridging the digital divide, ensuring that over 115,000 customers around the planet can depend on bigblu to get the connection and service they deserve and in turn access to the things that matter most.

 

All bigblu packages come with unlimited data, no upfront equipment costs and superfast speeds. And with 100% nationwide coverage, bigblu goes where others don’t.

 

Bigblu’s satellite packages offer:

 

• Faster Speeds: All packages come with superfast speeds. The bronze package has average speeds of 12Mbps, which increases to 36Mbps with the gold package. That’s faster than many provider’s wired connections.

 

• Better Value: The up-front equipment costs for specialist satellite equipment have been removed, instead you loan the equipment for the duration of your contract. To get connected you just pay a one off activation fee of £49.99 and an optional fee of £49.99 for standard professional installation.

 

• Unlimited Data: Unlike some providers bigblu’s Konnect packages don’t have any data caps or limits so there is no need for add-ons to boost your data allowance. Bigblu promise to never turn off your connection, even if you’ve reached your data allowance.

 

bigblu.co.uk

 

About Konnect Europe Konnect Europe delivers easy, affordable fast broadband internet connection where cables cannot reach. Using Eutelsat's Ka-band satellite, Konnect Europe offers high-speed internet solutions for consumers and businesses across Europe and Middle East-North Africa, helping individuals and companies to have a secure and reliable broadband-speed connection no matter where they are.