Shropshire Broadband Pushed to Limit

The already poor bandwidth in Shropshire is being stretch to the limit as thousands of residents work and study from home.

14:58 25 October 2020

Shropshire's internet, which is already slower compared to its neighbouring towns, is being stretched to the limit as thousands of employees and children work and study from home. With the growing digital divide, industry body The Broadband Stakeholder Group says investing in a reliable and fast broadband infrastructure, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, is more important than ever. 

 

Based on recent figures published by comparison site Compare the Market, Shropshire's average broadband speeds are at 37.8 Mbps, well below the UK-wide average of 64 Mbps. This speed makes Shropshire the 285th in the country for broadband speed behind Telford and Wrekin at 86th. 

 

Councillor Heather Kidd, who represents Chirbury, said: "It is very hard for employers and employees with so many people working from home at the moment because of coronavirus.

 

"The problem can be just as difficult for people in villages which have had fibre broadband fitted because the band width is so narrow that it is straining under the number of people who are using it.

 

"With half-term next week meaning children will be at home accessing the internet, that will place even more strain on the system."

 

"Shropshire can not carry on being a 'not spot'," she added. "There is a new grant scheme for households with low broadband speed, however it is only available if there are two or more of you.

 

"Many parts of Shropshire have a very scattered community and finding someone else to team up with can be very difficult."