COMPANIES in Scotland are less happy with internet speeds and broadband connections than those in the rest of the UK, a survey found.
More than a third of Scottish businesses (38%) told the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) their broadband speeds are insufficient for their current business needs, compared to the UK average of 33%.
The survey of 1136 small businesses also found 47% of Scottish firms fear their broadband will not be good enough for their future needs, higher than the 40% of businesses with similar concerns across the whole of the UK.
The FSB has now called on the Scottish and UK governments to “bury the hatchet on broadband” and work together to roll out fast broadband across the country.
In rural areas of the UK, 39% of small businesses have download speeds of less than 10 Mbps, nine
percentage points higher than average firms in urban areas.
FSB’s Scotland policy chair, Andrew McRae, said that although official figures “show Scotland’s connectivity improving”, politicians and the telecoms industry needs to make sure that the service lives up to expectations.”
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