Exeter is worst connected city in the UK

Post-Brexit uncertainty and soaring costs in London means UK regions can offer great opportunities for businesses 

Exeter is the worst connected city in the UK according to a study carried out by GoCompare.

The report found that Exeter has the worst broadband in the UK and is also one of the poorest areas for mobile coverage with only six per cent 4G coverage.

Exeter came bottom behind Lincoln, Wells, Norwich, Hereford and Carlisle where all these areas placed in the bottom 10.

Higher costs in London and post-Brexit uncertainty has created an opportunity for businesses to look to invest in UK regions outside of the capital. However poor connectivity and unreliable digital infrastructure is making this difficult.

A CBI report estimated there is potential for £208 billion in revenue to be generated if regions are invested in properly. A total of 68 per cent of investment in digital tech has gone to businesses in regional hubs outside of London.

Amongst the best connected cities in the UK, London has the best 4G coverage at 60.92 per cent, along with Manchester, Nottingham, Glasgow, Coventry and Leicester. The survey found the bigger cities to generally be the best connected.

In terms of fastest broadband speeds Brighton and Hove ranked first with 33.90Mbps, followed by Salford with 33.02Mbps and Southampton with 32.86Mbps.

GoCompare PR and social media manager commented: “As a technologically advanced nation, the UK could be expected to provide its population with equal access to high-quality internet. However this study goes to show that more needs to be invested in some cities to offer their inhabitants the same online opportunities that people in London or Manchester receive.”

Data in the survey is based on figures Ofcom collected in 2016 from the large operators in each sector and looked into average download, upload and average data speeds. GoCompare carried out the study in March 2018.