Powys ‘one of UK’s worst areas for digital access’

• Powys has the poorest digital access in Wales, and the second poorest in the UK
• One in five people in Powys have not accessed the internet in the past three months
• Nearly a quarter of residences in Powys lack access to superfast broadband

Digital access in Powys is the second worst in the UK, new research reveals.

One in five people in Powys have not used the internet at all in the past three months, if ever – nearly triple the national average for people who had not used the internet in that timeframe (seven percent).

Over one in five premises in Powys lacks access to superfast broadband (compared to the 98 percent of premises with superfast broadband in the UK’s most connected place – Bexley and Greenwich).

The study, by marketing experts N.Rich, used new ONS and Ofcom data to rank areas based on how many people had been online in the past three months and the number of premises with access to superfast broadband, in order to discover the country’s least and most digitally connected places.

Powys has the poorest digital access in Wales, as well as being the only place in Wales to make the list of overall top ten least digitally connected areas in the UK.

Fermanagh and Omagh in Northern Ireland ranked as the number one worst connected area in the UK.  One in eight people in Fermanagh and Omagh had not used the internet in the past three months, and a third of residences had no access to superfast broadband – the highest proportion of people without access in the whole of the UK.

The UK’s least connected regions

Mid Ulster in Northern Ireland was the third worst-connected region, with one in six people not going online at all in the last three months. 22 percent of residences in Mid Ulster could not access superfast broadband – four times the UK average.

Several Scottish regions also saw some of the worst digital access, with Dumfries and Galloway experiencing the poorest connection in Scotland, and fourth poorest in the UK. 15 percent of Dumfries and Galloway residents failed to get coverage for superfast broadband, and 20 percent had not accessed the internet in the past three months.

At the other end of the scale, Croydon and Brighton were among the towns with the best digital connection. Fewer than one percent of people were offline in Croydon, and 96 percent enjoyed access to superfast broadband, while close to 100 percent of Brighton residents had superfast broadband coverage, and 98 percent had accessed the internet at least in the last three months.

A spokesperson for N.Rich, which conducted the study, said: “When you compare the internet use of UK residents with their ability to access fast broadband, it paints a clear picture of the digital divide and where it hits hardest. As the internet is now our core means of communication, from educating our children, to accessing work and running businesses, it’s more important than ever to ensure that every part of the UK has  good digital access”.

The study was conducted by N.Rich, which offers a rich array of intent data and ad inventory that enable marketers to drive awareness and lead generation effectively.