The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
We’ve all been there – you go to download a movie or stream a song, only to be met by the ‘spinning wheel of death’.
Slow broadband speeds are something that many Brits must contend with, and now new figures have revealed the cities with the worst connections.
Consumer speed tests by Broadband Genie reveal that Canterbury is the city with the slowest average speeds, closely followed by Ripon and Chester.
In contrast, people in Belfast, Portsmouth and Milton Keynes enjoy the fastest average speeds, according to the report.
‘No broadband customer should accept a sub-par service, least of all in a year when we have seen record price increases in the industry,’ said Alex Tofts, broadband expert at Broadband Genie.
Slow broadband speeds are something that many Brits must contend with, and now new figures have revealed the cities with the worst connections
In the study, Broadband Genie analysed 265,572 consumer speed tests from across the UK.
At a city level, Canterbury came in at the bottom of the list, with residents experiencing average speeds of just 34.4Mb.
This was followed by Ripon (39.9Mb), Chester (43.6Mb), Carlisle (46Mb), and Worcester (46.9Mb).
At the other end of the spectrum, Belfast was at the top of the list, with average speeds of 152Mb.
Portsmouth (122Mb) wasn’t far behind, along with Milton Keynes (117.2Mb), Derry (114.9), and Plymouth (109.5Mb).
Scroll down to the the average speeds for all UK cities.
Meanwhile, across all areas of the UK, the village of Halkirk in Caithness was named the slowest area, with residents receiving average speeds of just 2.8Mb.
For reference, Ofcom advises that 10Mb is the minimum ‘decent’ speed homes should receive.
In contrast, Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire enjoys the fastest broadband speeds in the UK, with an impressive average of 409Mb per household.
‘Most of Britain’s biggest providers sign up to Ofcom’s Broadband Speeds Code of Practice,’ Mr Tufts said.
‘This means they have to be clear about the speeds you should expect at your address, including a guaranteed minimum they must keep above.
We’ve all been there – you go to download a movie or stream a song, only to be met by the ‘spinning wheel of death’
‘Speed tests are a useful tool for regularly monitoring the performance you are receiving. If they are falling short of what has been promised, contact your provider and raise the issue.
‘It’s worth bearing in mind that poor broadband speeds can also be influenced by factors outside of your provider’s control, so make sure you check these first.
‘Poor home wiring or a poorly positioned or faulty router could be dragging your Wi-Fi down.
‘Residents in the slowest towns and cities may also be suffering unnecessarily, with faster speeds available in their area if they switch.
‘If you are out of contract and looking to upgrade your broadband, do a quick comparison online to see the best deals on offer.
‘You may even end up paying less for a better and faster service.’
