Island 'quadruples' broadband speeds

The Isle of Man’s broadband speed has quadrupled in just a year, rising above the UK and Ireland in the latest worldwide rankings.

The most recent figures by Cable.co.uk and gathered by M-Lab show the Island has jumped from 63^rd to 40^th place in 2019-20, with speeds increasing four-fold from 11.04Mbps to 44.16Mbps in the space of 12 months.

Reliable, fast and secure broadband is a key strategic driver in the Department for Enterprise’s National Telecommunications Strategy, unveiled in 2018.

The latest figures highlight the efforts being made to improve the Island’s connectivity just a month after the Department announced it was accelerating its roll-out for ultrafast broadband Island-wide through the Economic Recovery Programme. The acceleration will see high-speed broadband services reach 75 per cent of homes within three years, bringing the original five year plan to completion in four years.

Lyle Wraxall, CEO of Digital Isle of Man, explained:

‘Keeping our Island connected and providing a platform for the Isle of Man Government to deliver its digital services is an absolute priority as we rebuild after COVID-19. It also aids local businesses to grow and develop, which is why we quickly identified the need to accelerate the Island’s National Broadband Plan through the Economic Recovery Group last month.’

‘It further promotes more widespread remote working, which has been proven over recent months to be not just required, but essential to the way we work. These areas are an increasingly important part of our national strategic infrastructure.’

‘To see these figures rising significantly is not only heartening but tangible evidence of the efforts being made to deliver ultrafast fibre broadband to every home and business, following the launch of the Strategy nearly two years ago.’

Gary Lamb, CEO of Manx Telecom, commented:

'We are delighted to see the Isle of Man move up the league table for broadband speeds and this reflects the significant effort and investment Manx Telecom has made into the broadband network, particularly with the roll-out of fibre, over the past two years.'

'In light of the changes in demand for broadband services following the coronavirus pandemic, we are bringing forward further planned investment in the existing broadband network. At the same time we are working in partnership with the Isle of Man Government to accelerate the roll-out of fibre in hard to reach rural areas, under the National Broadband Plan. This should have a further positive impact, both on the average speed our customers enjoy and on the Island’s position in the global rankings.'

Around 35% of Island properties can already access ultrafast fibre broadband via licensed operators.

For more information: www.iomdfenterprise.im/national-broadband-plan/