Traficom gave out stars for the availability of digital connections – explore the municipality-specific ratings

There are major differences between Finnish municipalities when it comes to digital infrastructure and by extension the preconditions of municipalities for adopting various digital solutions. For many consumers, good online connectivity is a major factor when choosing a place to live due to remote working, the digitalisation of agricultural activities or remote hobbies, for example. A reliable and fast internet connection is also essential for many everyday tasks. Digital connections also contribute to how likely people are to stay in a given municipality for decades to come.

Traficom has calculated a star rating for each municipality in Finland based on how developed their fixed and mobile broadband connections are. The highest star rating of five was given to Kauniainen, Maarianhamina, Pietarsaari and Raisio. They are all municipalities covering small areas that offer good connectivity both at home and outside of it. Out of Finland’s most populous cities, Espoo, Helsinki, Lahti, Oulu, Tampere, Turku and Vantaa received a rating of 4.5 stars. The total number of municipalities to receive a rating of at least 4.5 stars was 28. 

Examining municipalities based on Statistics Finland’s statistical grouping of municipalities, we can see that urban municipalities fared quite well in the rating, receiving an average rating of 4 stars. Meanwhile, semi-urban municipalities received an average rating of 3 stars, while rural municipalities received an average rating of 2.5 stars. “This shows that networks are primarily built in the most populated areas. In addition to differences between municipalities, there may also be significant differences in broadband availability within municipalities between densely built population centres and more sparsely populated suburbs, for example,” says Senior Specialist Joonas Sotaniemi.

Finland differs from other countries in how mobile and fixed broadband connections are used

“In most other countries, mobile broadband is used primarily outside of the home, with households almost exclusively using fixed broadband for home needs. In Finland, however, just under half of households only use mobile broadband either via a phone or with a 4G/5G modem, for example,” clarifies Senior Specialist Marja Heinonen. According to a consumer survey carried out by Traficom, in municipalities with over 50,000 residents a clear majority of the population uses both a fixed broadband connection and a mobile broadband connection at home. In smaller municipalities, a slight majority of households use mobile broadband only, either by using a phone as a mobile hotspot or with a 4G/5G modem. 

The star rating describes the state of the municipality’s digital infrastructure, which provides the foundation for using digital services. There are small differences between residential areas of different sizes in how much various digital online services are used. In municipalities with over 50,000 residents, over half of residents have made internet calls and watched TV series and films online, whereas in smaller municipalities less than half of residents have made internet calls, and in rural municipalities less than half have watched TV series or films online. In the largest municipalities, 44% of residents need a broadband connection at home for work, whereas in municipalities with less than 50,000 residents the corresponding share is only 37% and in rural municipalities 41%.

It should be noted, however, that the use of the aforementioned services may be to some extent reflective of the population structures of different areas and thus not indicative of access to online services. The survey found no differences between areas in how well available broadband connections corresponded to respondents’ needs, as respondents were primarily happy with available connections in all areas.