Cable Broadband in the UK: the First 200 Months

Cable broadband was first launched in the UK in 1999, at 0.5 Mbps. This SQW infographic charts how the maximum download speeds offered by cable broadband have developed since then.

It illustrates how the combination of technological progress and fierce infrastructure-level competition (primarily between the cable operators and BT) have led to much better services at lower prices over the years. Over the period 1999 to 2015, the maximum download speed available increased at an average rate of 44% per annum , or 3.1% per month.