This is how Bassetlaw's broadband speed compares to the rest of the UK

As Covid-19 means many of us are working and socialising from home, we depend more than ever on a reliable internet connection.
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And even as lockdown measures begin to ease, those reluctant to resume long commutes may choose to shun their office for good.

But an analysis of broadband quality in Bassetlaw shows this could be easier for some than others.

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The House of Commons Library has produced estimates of average download speeds for individual areas within each parliamentary constituency across the UK.

Overall broadband speeds in Bassetlaw are worse than the UK averageOverall broadband speeds in Bassetlaw are worse than the UK average
Overall broadband speeds in Bassetlaw are worse than the UK average

The average speed for the Bassetlaw overall was only 42.7 megabits per second (mbps), well below the UK national average of 60.9.

The fastest area was Worksop where the average download speed was 52.6 mbps, while Retford was the worst-performing area with an average speed of just 35 mpbs.

However, this was was still above Ofcom’s definition of ‘superfast’ downloads, of 30 mbps.

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The figures reflect speeds received rather than those available, as some people may have access to faster connections than the ones they pay for.

Earlier this year, the Government announced a £5 billion investment to roll out faster broadband to the hardest-to-reach areas across the nation.

But Andrew Ferguson, editor of Think Broadband, said some people could wait until 2025 to see the improvements.

He added: “With the pandemic highlighting how key broadband is for a functioning society, the need to address those worst off broadband-wise has never been clearer.”

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The Government recently wrote into law the right to request this level of service, with Ofcom estimating in December that roughly 155,000 premises across the UK could be in line to claim.

In Bassetlaw, 1.3 per cent of premises were unable to get decent service – the UK average is two per cent – while 96.4 per cent had access to superfast download speeds, better than the UK average of 94.8 per cent.

An Ofcom spokesman said: “More than nine in 10 UK households can now get superfast broadband, but some areas still struggle for a decent connection.

“Since March, anyone who is unable to get a decent broadband service has the legal right to request one.

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“We’re also supporting investment in faster, full-fibre broadband for the UK – including making sure rural areas get better connections.”

A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said the Government was committed to bringing faster, gigabit-speed internet to the whole country – one gigabit is equal to 1,000 megabits.

He added: “We are determined to deliver on our gigabit commitment and are removing the barriers to industry accelerating broadband roll-out as well as investing £5 billion so the hardest-to-reach areas aren’t left behind.”