The slowest broadband in the UK, with an average download speed of 0.14Mbps, is found on Greenmeadows Park in Bamfurlong, Gloucestershire, according to the latest consumer speed tests collected by uSwitch.com, the price comparison and switching service.
Greenmeadows Park suffers average speeds that are a staggering 1,899 times slower than the UK’s fastest street, Abdon Avenue in Birmingham, where average speeds have reached 265.89Mbps over the past year.
In Greenmeadows Park it would take more than 102 hours to download a two-hour HD film on Netflix and at least 38 hours to download a 45-minute HD TV show. By contrast, on Abdon Avenue it would take less than four minutes to download the same film and just 72 seconds to download the same TV show[3].
According to the research, which is based on more than 279,186 ‘real world’ speed tests run by broadband users over the last year, a quarter (26.3%) struggle with speeds of less than 10Mbps, while one in eight (13.3%) crawl along at less than 5Mbps.
However, the number of broadband users enjoying faster speeds is growing. Nearly a third of users (31%) now get speeds of 30+ Mbps, up from less than a quarter (22%) three years ago. But despite the fact that the availability of superfast broadband services has increased to 95% as of May 2018, a recent uSwitch survey found that only just over half (56%) of Brits believe they can access it in their local area.
Broadband users living in the South West are the most likely to find themselves with superfast speeds. Five of the UK’s fastest broadband streets can be found across Devon, Dorset, Cornwall and Wiltshire. By contrast, if you head north of the Mersey you are more likely to encounter streets that struggle with molasses-like internet; nine of the slowest streets for broadband can be found in the likes of North and South Yorkshire, Teeside, Manchester and across Scotland.
When it comes to broadband speeds, it’s still very much a postcode lottery. Areas such as South Yorkshire and Cambridge experience some of the fastest – and some of the slowest – broadband, with it being a happy coincidence if you are on one of the streets with a quick service.
In fact, superfast broadband is available on more than a third (35%) of the UK’s slowest streets, but a lack of awareness that a better service is accessible results in many being resigned to poor download speeds.
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