Many developed countries around the world have been enjoying download speeds that are far higher than those available in the UK, and this was highlighted in a recent report compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The report reviewed the costs and download speeds of thirty of its member countries, and revealed that consumers in Japan were getting the best overall deal with great value for money and super fast speeds.

According to the report Japan has 100mbps lines, which is ten times the OECD average. This is because, like a number of other countries, Japan uses fiber networks. With fiber networks consumers can enjoy increased speeds, and can also download at the same speed as they can upload, which is something that does not generally happen with ADSL and cable networks. However, a recent announcement by BT could result in consumers being able to enjoy far faster speeds.

The chairman of communications giant BT, Sir Christopher Bland, has recently stated that the company is looking into the installation of fiber optics as far as the kerb, which could mean that some consumers get to enjoy up to 50mbps. Japan currently offers 100mbps lines, so the speeds that may be available are still not in line with some other developed countries – however they do offer a vast improvement on the speeds that are currently available.

If the communication giant does go ahead with these plans consumers could enjoy a taste of the super fast speeds that countries like Japan are currently enjoying. Along with Japan, Korea, Finland, and Sweden are also enjoying super speeds as a result of fiber networking.