Rural areas have broadband out of ´necessity´

People who live in rural areas are using broadband internet connections because they need to, not just because they can afford to.

That is the opinion of BroadbandChoices.co.uk, which has said that the fact rural areas tend to be more affluent than urban areas does not fully explain why they have now got a higher broadband uptake.

Product director Michael Philips asserted that broadband is a "necessity" as many people rely on fast connections for their at-home entertainment.

He said: "I don´t think it´s any surprise that people in rural areas are adopting broadband in such high numbers. Obviously there are all sorts of benefits – banking online, home deliveries, that kind of thing.

"I think it´s probably more about necessity than background. Businesses like Sky are always quite recession proof, because people might cut down on going out and socialising – but the last thing they want to get rid of is the in-house entertainment."

"People might say it´s surprising that there´s such a high penetration of broadband [in rural areas]. But I don´t think that that is surprising… Broadband is an important part of how people entertain themselves at home."

Las week, Ofcom reported that 59 per cent of rural households have broadband compared to 57 per cent of those in urban areas.