Internet Speed: 13 Mbps downlink; 7.5 Mbps uplink

Population: 65.64 million

Internet Coverage: 80% of residents

Main Internet Services: Cable, ADSL, Wireless Broadband (in remote areas), Dial-up (very rarely)

Internet Censorship: Relatively Lenient

Colocation Datacenters: 252

Colocation Market: Developed

Web Hosting Market: Developed

According to Akamai’s Q3 2015 rankings, the average downlink Internet speed in the United Kingdom is 13 Mbps and the average uplink speed is 7.5 Mbps.

Population & Internet Availability

The current population of the United Kingdom is approximately 65.64 million. Over 80% of residents currently have access to the Internet, especially broadband connections.

Main Types of Access to the Internet

UK residents can access the following types of Internet services:

– Dial-up Internet (obsolete – rarely used)
– Cable
– Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
– Wireless Broadband (notably satellite and radio-based connections)

Internet Access – Dial-up Internet

Dial-up Internet was introduced in the UK in early 1992, by now-defunct Pipex. This narrowband service has now been almost completely replaced by new broadband technologies, and it is estimated that less than 10% of the population use this service nowadays, mostly as backup.

Internet Access – Cable Internet

Cable Internet is a very popular service in the UK. Cable broadband uses either coaxial lines or fiber-optic lines. It is provided by Virgin Media, and maximum speeds can go up to as high as 300 Mbps.

Internet Access – ADSL

Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) was introduced in trial stages in 1998, and by 2000 it was launched as a commercial product. It should be noted that, in the UK, most exchanges, local loops and backhauls are owned and operated by BT Wholesale, a company which wholesales connectivity via Internet Service Providers. As of October 2012, BT Wholesale owns approximately 5700 exchanges.

Wireless Broadband

Wireless broadband services are scarcely being used in the UK, thanks to the fact that most residents have unconditioned access to the Internet, owing to the large technical infrastructure that reaches to them. These alternative delivery models are often deployed in areas that are physically and/or commercially unreachable by standard methods (e.g. in the countryside).

Internet Censorship in the United Kingdom

Internet subscribers in the United Kingdom are widely known to be prohibited from accessing a wide range of websites by default, due to the fact that their Internet access is filtered by diverse Internet Service Providers. The current legal status of “ISP web blocking” is voluntary. By voluntary it should be understood that all ISPs agree on a code of practice which determines which websites are banned and which are not. This means that, in theory, customers can opt out of the ISP filtering to gain access to the blocked content. However, the actual process is much more complicated than it seems, and this deters customers from going forward with it.

According to datacentermap.com, there are currently 252 colocation datacenters established in United Kingdom. Most datacenters are located in London (75), while the remaining datacenters are distributed across various cities, such as Manchester (20), Birmingham (16), Sheffield (6), Shropshire (2), etc.

Prominent Colocation Providers

In London, prominent colocation providers include the following:

– Telehouse London
– Interxion
– Digital Realty
– Redcentric
– Volta Data Centers
– Pulsant Ltd.

Prominent Colocation Providers – Telehouse

One of the most important colocation providers established in London is Telehouse. This company operates a 5,400-square-foot facility which offers high levels of security, power, cooling and technical support which ensure business continuity. The datacenter is located in the London Docklands area.

Important amenities found at this datacenter are as follows:

– on-site primary substations, located on the Telehouse Docklands Campus (50MVA capacity)
– 132KV power lines directly connected to the National Grid, which help reduce transmission losses
– diverse power feeds
– N+1 redundancy on power generation and cooling apparatus
– carrier-neutrality, with on-site access to many telecoms and other carrier hotels located in close proximity

Services provided at this location consist of the following:

– rental of suites, cages, rack cabinets, footprints, as well as diverse enclosures

Prominent Colocation Providers – Interxion

Another significant colocation provider established locally is Interxion. This company operates multiple facilities distributed across London. The most important facility is Interxion LON1. This datacenter is located in the heart of London, and specialises in providing colocation services, in addition to proximity hosting to many industry fields, notably to financial services companies.

The facility features many amenities, of which the most important ones are:

– energy-efficient modular architecture, powered by 100% renewable energy
– 2N UPS power equipment
– 2N cooling equipment
– diverse power feeds
– carrier neutrality, with unconditioned access to a large number of ISPs and other carrier hotels, notably Cogent, GBLX Global Crossing, DataHop, DEAC, etc.

The datacenter provides numerous colocation services:

– rental of suites, cages, rack cabinets, footprints, as well as diverse enclosures

Colocation Industry in United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is one of the most developed colocation markets in Europe, as demonstrated by current trends which indicate substantial growth in comparison with other top local markets. London in particular is one of Europe’s largest colocation markets, with more than 7 million square feet of floor space, of which a big percentage has already been occupied. Demand for wholesale and retail colocation continues to outpace supply; it is expected that vacancy rates will remain steady under 10% for the foreseeable future. This trend may be noticed in other UK cities, too.

Advantages for Colocation

The UK boasts an extensive list of advantages for colocation, and it consists of the following:

– The UK is one of the most developed colocation markets in Europe, surpassed by very few countries
– great technical infrastructure in most areas, and especially in London
– although London is most preferred for colocation services, customers can pick from many other cities, such as Manchester, Berkshire, as well as Birmingham
– year-round cool weather, which enables datacenters to benefit from free cooling
– very low risk for natural disasters
– The UK benefits from the presence of many submarine cables, which span the North Atlantic Ocean to Africa and the Americas.

The UK boasts an extensive cluster of web hosting providers that offer services both nationally and internationally. Prominent providers are the following:

– Easyspace
– bytehouse
– SpiralHosting
– Ecenica
– HeartInternet
– Evohosting

Most companies specialise in providing core hosting services, including Shared, VPS, and Dedicated Hosting, in addition to auxiliary services designed to improve your hosting experience. Such auxiliary services are DDoS and antispam solutions, diverse website builders, and backup services. Most providers accept traditional payment methods, such as credit card and PayPal, while some also accept Bitcoin, notably offshore hosting providers.