London Evening Standard: Vilnius significantly outpacing London in broadband speed

London has been ranked 26th in a new index of average broadband speeds across 33 European capitals compiled by home fibre-optic provider Hyperoptic. Average download speeds in the UK capital are 26.3 megabytes per second, compared to the European average of 36.8. Download speeds in Vilnius, by contrast, are 60.14 megabytes per second, almost double the European average. Bucharest, Romania tops the index with broadband as fast as 81.2 megabytes per second.

London’s lower speeds could threaten the progress of the country’s digital economy, warned Hyperoptic’s chairman Boris Ivanovic.

“The UK government has recognised that there is a clear need for speed, which is why back in 2012 it pledged to have the fastest broadband of any major European country by 2015,” he said. “These figures demonstrate that the UK is a long way from that target.”

London has lagged behind other European cities for some time; in 2009, London was ranked 23rd in Europe. Though broadband speed in London has experienced a threefold increase in the last five years, competitors have outstripped its growth. Vilnius, which ranked 13th in 2009, has increased broadband speed 4.5 times since then, pushing it up ten places to third overall.

European Capital Cities – Broadband Download Speeds

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