60% of households have access to broadband network

Nearly 60% of Finnish households had access to a fixed broadband network with the speed of at least 100Mb at the end of 2018,said Finnish Transport and Communications Agency-TRAFICOM in a press release.

In particular, there was a strong increase in the availability of fibre-optic connections.

During 2018, an extra 30,000 households gained access to a fast broadband connection. By the end of the year, 58% of households had access to a broadband connection with a download speed of at least 100Mb. In 2017, a fast broadband connection was available to 57% of households.

‘There is plenty of demand for fast broadband connections because online data transfer is growing. Over one third of those households that can access a 100Mb or faster connection have done so’, explained Traficom Communications Market Specialist Marja Heinonen.

Fast fixed network broadband connections are based on cable modem connections that use the cable television network and, first and foremost, fibre-optic connections, the availability of which rose in 2018 from 31% to 33% of households. Fibre-optic availability is defined to include households where the fibre-optic connection extends to either within the borders of the property (FTTB) or to within the residence itself (FTTH).

Household access to 100Mb connections is at a particularly high level in Ahvenanmaa (97%). In mainland Finland, access to such connections is highest in the regions of Pohjanmaa (75%) and Päijät-Häme (72%).

‘The most comprehensive examination of regional differences will be presented in the municipal broadband ratings to be published in May or June this year’, Heinonen added.

In the accessibility data of one nationwide operator, the speed-based categorisation of connections has been examined. Based on this information, corrections have been made to the data for 2017.