Fermanagh and Omagh have been ranked as the least digitally connected areas in the UK.
Digital access in Northern Ireland is the poorest in the UK, new research has revealed.
Eleven percent of people in Northern Ireland had not used the internet at all in the past three months – well above the national average for people who hadn’t used the internet in that timeframe (7 percent).
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.
Fermanagh and Omagh ranked as the least digitally connected areas in the UK. One in eight people in Fermanagh and Omagh had not used the internet in the past three months, if ever and close to a third had no access to superfast broadband – the highest proportion of people without access in Northern Ireland, as well as the entire UK.
Mid Ulster is also one of the least digitally connected places in the UK. Nearly a quarter of premises in the area lack superfast broadband, and the region has 750 percent more internet non-users than Bexley and Greenwich – the area with the UK’s best digital connection.
Causeway Coast and Glens also suffered from some of the poorest digital access, with fifteen percent of people not using the internet in three months, and fourteen percent of premises lacking superfast broadband coverage.
In Newry, Mourne and Down, nine percent of people had not accessed the internet in three months, and over one in six premises did not have superfast broadband coverage. Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon saw one in seven people fail to access the internet in the past three months, if ever, while over a tenth of premises did not have coverage for superfast broadband.
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 fair 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.
