Romania, Slovenia and Bulgaria all have FASTER broadband than the UK, according to new analysis
- UK is number 31 in global broadband rankings - behind many European countries
- Britain's broadband nearly three times slower than the fastest in Singapore
- Findings will pile fresh pressure on the government to invest in faster broadband
Digital minister Matt Hancock, pictured outside Downing Street, will oversee the new investment in fibre optic broadband which the government hopes will finally bring rural internet speeds up to scratch
Britain has slower broadband than Romania, Slovenia and Bulgaria, according to fresh analysis of internet speeds.
The UK's creaking broadband is lagging behind many of its European neighbours and is ranked number 31 in a global list of speeds.
Britain has a mean download speed of 16.51 Mbps, making it nearly three times slower than Singapore which is the fastest at 55.13 Mbps.
Meanwhile, Romania is ranked 18th Slovenia is 25th and Bulgaria is 27th, according to the list.
The findings will pile further pressure on the government to invest more money in bringing the country's internet up to speed.
Dan Howdle, consumer telecoms analyst at Cable.co.uk, said the results showed the UK has lessons to learn from Europe.
He said: 'These results offer us a fresh perspective on where we sit in the broadband world.
'Relatively speaking, we are near the top of the table.
'However, many of those ahead of us - some a long way ahead - are our neighbours both in the EU and wider Europe.'
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The findings are based on more than 63 million broadband speed tests which were taken over a year and the results collected by M-Lab which were later ranked by cable.co.uk.
Slow broadband speeds, particularly in rural areas, have been blamed for holding businesses back and infuriating residents trying to access it.
Ministers last month formally launched a £400m fund to boost investment in 'full-fibre' broadband.
It would mean that homes and businesses would be connected to the internet via fibre optic cables which run directly into properties rather than having to rely on copper cables which connect them to roadside cabinets.
The government says the investment will help bring speeds up to 1Gbps and boost business.
But critics have said the investment is just a 'drop in the ocean' and more cash must be invested to bring Britain's broadband up to scratch.
Meanwhile, BT has promised to ensure every home has access to decent broadband as part of a £600million five-year upgrade of the lines.
But industry rivals have warned the plan could see bills rise by £20 a month.
Around 1.4million households cannot get the minimum connection speed in the most remote areas, according to Ofcom.
But MPs insist the total is far higher and are calling for a refund for those who do not receive the speeds they pay for.
The UK's creaking broadband is lagging behind many of its European neighbours and is ranked number 31 in a global list of speeds, according to new analysis
A spokesman for BT Openreach said: 'Cable.co.uk's research highlights the need for a better understanding of the broadband speeds people currently use, compared to the actual superfast speeds they can sign-up to right now.
'More than 93 per cent of the UK can already access superfast speeds of 24Mbps or above and a recent survey by Ofcom shows that the average household can receive speeds of 36.2Mbps – a speed that allows households to easily stream films, carry out video conferencing and browse the web at the same time.
'However, so far, only 30 per cent of UK homes and businesses have signed-up to these superfast broadband services via Openreach's network, which explains the results of Cable.co.uk's tests.
'The UK is the leading digital economy in the G20, and we're working with the broadband industry as a whole to make more homes and businesses aware that these superfast speeds are available to them today.'
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