UK languishes in broadband slow-lane

The UK is lagging behind its peers in terms of broadband download speeds as well as value for money where it comes to 'always on' internet access.

In terms of the maximum broadband speed offered, the UK is 16th out of the 30 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with maximum speeds under 20Mbps.

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Japan and Korea lead the way in maximum broadband speed in the OECD Communications Outlook 2007 report, both having services of up to 100Mbps.

The lowest maximum speeds were found in Australia and the Slovak Republic, with just over 10Mbps.

In terms of value for money, the UK again trailed in 19th place with a lowest monthly subscription price of $29.00.

The lowest monthly subscription charge was found in Sweden at $10.79 per month.

In terms of price per 1Mbps, Japan was the cheapest with the UK in 16th place.

The figures are from October 2006, when 178 million people in the OECD countries were estimated to be broadband subscribers.