Almost half of homes in Suffolk now have access to full-fibre broadband

Almost half of households and businesses in Suffolk now have access to full fibre broadband according to new figures, up from 6% just three years ago.

The data from Think Broadband has been released by County Broadband, which is spending £146m on developing the fibre network across the East of England.

Ipswich has the best access to high-speed internet, with 67.4% of properties currently able to connect to it.

Babergh has the lowest access, at 34.6%.

There are now further calls for investment from the government into boosting internet speeds, to help both businesses and households.

James Salmon, Director of Corporate Development, County Broadband, said:

“It’s good news that the 50% UK full fibre milestone has been achieved, according to this data, but many residents and businesses, especially in rural areas across the East of England, are all too aware of the ‘postcode lottery’ when it comes to broadband."

"We know many rural communities have been deeply frustrated and held back by poor, slow and unreliable internet for too long.

“That’s why we don’t discriminate when it comes to our rural full fibre rollout across the region.

"Whether that’s Bentley or Brantham in Suffolk, or Langham and Little Maplestead in Essex, or Haslingfield and Harston in South Cambridgeshire, we are engaging with over 250 villages and businesses in this once-in-a-generation digital infrastructure investment.

“Full fibre infrastructure promises to unlock colossal amounts of potential for technological innovations and advances to turbocharge productivity in the East of England, while at the same time ensuring rural communities and isolated individuals can stay connected and enjoy all the benefits of full fibre too.

"We look forward to connecting thousands more homes and businesses over the coming months and years, while helping to end the ‘digital postcode lottery’ for good.”

Access to full fibre per Suffolk district:

Ipswich - 67.4%

West Suffolk - 55.4%

Mid Suffolk - 43.3%

Suffolk Coastal and Waveney - 41.3%

Babergh - 34.6%

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.