Super-fast broadband uptake in the UK is lagging well behind levels recorded in Japan and the US, a new report has revealed.

Conducted by Ofcom, the study showed 59 per cent of Britain had access to next-generation broadband services from BT and Virgin Media - a figure the regulator claimed "compares favourably" to other European nations.

However, only four per cent of households in the UK are actually subscribed to super-fast broadband, leaving the country lagging well behind Japan and the US, where uptake stands at 40 per cent and ten per cent respectively.

While BT claims more than six million homes and businesses across the nation are now able to take advantage of its fibre optic broadband service, only around 300,000 customers had signed up for the technology at the end of the third quarter of 2011.

By the end of next year, the telecoms giant is on track to deploy its fibre optic-based infrastructure to more than ten million properties.

Germany, Spain and Italy were also found to have low levels of high-speed broadband take-up at three per cent, 2.2 per cent and 1.5 per cent.

One way that the customer base of next-generation internet connectivity could be increased is with the widespread rollout of 4G mobile broadband access.

UK networks are expected to begin deploying 4G infrastructure after the spectrum auction in late 2012, with the first services set to launch in early 2013.

However, some European nations have already rolled out the technology, with consumers in Sweden able to take advantage of up to 100Mbps mobile broadband speeds.

Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom, described the installation of super-fast mobile infrastructure as an issue that the regulator needs to monitor closely over the coming months.

"We are pressing ahead with plans to release this valuable spectrum at the end of next year which will enable new mobile services for consumers," he added.

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01st January 2012

Ofcom backing the Government up as this can be an excuse for non delivery of 90 percent superfast broadband by 2015. There was not enough take up so we had to cut back doing anything...