Fairy lights on Christmas trees could cause slower Wi-Fi speeds, the UK regulator Ofcom has warned, as it launched a new app to test coverage in homes.



The watchdog estimated up to six million homes and offices could improve their broadband connection, saying wireless networks were often not set up correctly or suffered “interference” from electronics including baby monitors, microwave ovens and Christmas lights.

Ofcom released research which found more than a quarter of homes in the UK have “superfast” broadband connection of more than 30 megabits per second – an increase to 7.5 million households from six million in 2014.



But higher-speed broadband is available in fewer than two in five (37%) homes in rural areas, the regulator found.

And around 8% of households, or 2.4 million, cannot receive a connection with speeds of more than 10 megabits per second, a figure that rises to nearly half of houses in rural areas.

This was often because caused by remote houses “lying further from the network’s local street cabinet or local telephone exchange”, Ofcom said.

Small businesses were struggling in particular with slower connections, as almost half were unable to achieve more than 10 megabits per second, and the watchdog estimated that by 2017 around 18% would still be unable to access superfast services.

According to the report a 10 megabit per second connection was a “tipping point” above which customers rated their broadband as “good”.

Meanwhile, “ultrafast” broadband, with speeds of more than 300MB per second, was available to around 500,000 homes in the UK.

Mobile 4G coverage has also increased across the major networks from 44% in 2014 to 73% this year, with data use on mobile growing at a faster rate than on fixed wireless networks.

Sharon White, Ofcom chief executive, said: “Mobile and broadband have become the fourth essential service, alongside gas, electricity and water. There’s been a technological revolution over recent years, with 4G mobile and superfast continuing to extend across the country.

“Our challenge is to keep supporting competition and innovation, while also helping to improve coverage across the country – particularly in hard-to-reach areas, where mobile and home internet services need to improve.

“It’s vital that consumers have the tools they need, such as the new Wi-Fi Checker, to get the most out of their communications.”

The free Wi-Fi Checker app, for smartphones and tablets, allows homeowners to test the quality of their internet signal and suggests ways to enhance it.