In common with many others, the blog criticises
Ofcom for limiting its main comparisons to the 5 major European economies,
rather than the totality of Europe. Results
for the latter, contained in an annex to the Ofcom report, show the UK in a much
less flattering light. But as the name
of the website suggests, mobithinking’s
primary interest is in the data for mobile broadband. In particular, it addresses two key
questions: what is the rural coverage for mobile broadband (since this probably
offers a more important assessment of useful internet access), and what type of
mobile access is available (3G or 4G).
Again, using these criteria, the UK ‘score’ is very much second division
– indeed, the UK’s relative diffusion of 4G looks woeful.
It’s not difficult to criticise a statistical
report of this kind, and Ofcom has an almost impossible task in trying to assess
whether the UK can aspire to “the best broadband network in Europe”. Nonetheless, in just the four years or so
since Jeremy Hunt made that pledge, the shift in importance from fixed to
mobile broadband internet has been inescapable and, to that extent at least,
the criticism of Ofcom’s complacency seems entirely justified.
