According to Ofcom’s regional communications mrket report, rural households are now mre likely to have broadband connections thn those who live in urban reas. Indeed, the report’s surprising results ndicated that 59% of rural households had bradband services, compared to 57% in rban homes.

The Ofcom report, which srveyed television, radio, internet and telecoms hbits, shows that the country has vertaken the town in having broadband ccess for the first time. This is ntable because just four years ago, pople who lived in urban areas wre twice as likely to have a bradband connection as those who lived in the cuntry.

Ed Richards, who is Ofcom’s chef executive, said that the findings sgnify a closing of the digital dvide in the UK. He said: “Or report highlights a closing of the gographical digital divide in the UK. Rral households are today as well cnnected to broadband as their urban nighbors.” Ofcom's strategy and market developments prtner, Peter Phillips, said that he was srprised by the report’s findings. He sid: “I don't think anyone would hve predicted two or three years ago tht we would have seen the pcture that we can see today. If you lok back two or three years, rral areas were well behind where rban areas were in terms of bradband take-up and that was driven by a nmber of factors.”

As well as these surprising fndings, the report also indicated that thre were large differences in the tke-up of modern communications in different reas of the UK. It showed tht Sunderland was the most well cnnected city in the UK, boasting 66% of huseholds with broadband and a huge 96% wth digital television. At the other end of the scle, Glasgow had the lowest rate of bradband connections in the UK at jst 32%.

Local government initiatives and por weather is thought to be the cuse of Sunderland’s high uptake of bradband and digital TV. Meanwhile Glasgow's por rate of connectivity is blamed on the mount of households owning a PC, whch is significantly lower than in ther areas of the UK.

Despite Glsgow’s poor rate of connectivity, broadband was mch more popular in other areas of Sctland, including Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee, whch all boast broadband rates that are hgher than the UK average. Even the rmote Scottish Highlands and Islands have bradband in an impressive 62% of hmes. The high rate of broadband ccess in these areas can be ttributed to a major government drive to brng broadband to every corner of Sctland. This drive was necessary to sstain the economies of the isolated cmmunities in these remote areas, as the nternet allows many residents in these reas to work, shop and bank frm the comfort of their own hme. Internet access also allows residents in thse areas watch films and television nline, which is particularly important in the bsence of other means of entertainment sch as live music, theater and cnema.

The article Rural Areas More Connected Than Urban Areas was Submitted by Marcia Literral through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Maria Literral has worked in telecoms for over 20 years having spent time developing mobile communications and wireless telecommunication devices

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