Europe’s internet speeds are faster than ever, but not for everyone

Internet speed in Europe has increased by more than 50 per cent on average since the outbreak of the pandemic. Unfortunately, the gap between urban and rural areas, and between north European countries and those in the south-east, has also grown, OBC Transeuropa reports.

• Denmark tops the EU ranking, boasting an average download speed of 168 Mbps, while Greece has crossed the threshold of 30 Mbps only a few months ago.
• In early 2020, only 2 EU countries surpassed 100 Mbps download speeds. By mid-2021, 15 member states are above that threshold.
• The countries that have seen the largest increase in percentage terms over the past year and a half are Cyprus (+87%), France (+76%), and Italy (+75%).

Average internet speed across Europe (dashboard)

The dashboard makes it possible to explore and compare the average internet speed and latency for all European countries and regions, down to the municipal level. The data refer to the second quarter of 2021 and can freely be downloaded.
 

More on this topic:

• Where do we stand on the road to a European Gigabit Society?
• Walkthrough: How the dashboard on internet speed in Europe was built

Data dilemmas: Challenges for journalists in digital Europe

How do we track surveillance and deal with cybersecurity in Europe? How do we investigate abuse of personal data? How can we assess the lobbying power of big tech? These are questions of acute importance for all journalists – here is a chance to get closer to some answers!

In 3 half-day webinars we zoom in on 3 crucial areas:

• Cybersecurity for journalists – how and why did spyware end up in journalists’ phones? Does the EU cybersecurity strategy provide sufficient protection?
• Data collection is ideally balanced with freedom of consent. But vulnerable groups are often not informed, for example when it comes to migrants at Europe’s borders or to predictions in relation to social welfare. How can journalists research this abuse of rights?
• The power and lobbying of Big Tech in Europe – the tech sector is by far the biggest lobbying factor in the EU. What does that mean for decision-making in Brussels?

Webinars will take place on 19, 20 and 21 October from 10am to 1pm. On each day, we will have journalistic examples on how the problem has been covered, followed by a discussion of rules and legislation in the area. We will also discuss possible improvements.

The seminars are aimed at journalists and NGOs, but they are open for all and free of charge. You can find more information and register here.

The seminars are arranged by Arena for Journalism in Europe in cooperation with EDJNet, the Panelfit consortium, and OBC Transeuropa.

From the data journalism community