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.
UK cities with the slowest broadband speeds
Canterbury: 34.3 MbRipon: 39.9 MbChester: 43.6 MbCarlisle: 46 MbWorcester: 46.9 MbWakefield: 47.1 MbNewport: 48.2 MbNorwich: 48.8 MbWells: 49.3 MbDurham: 49.3 Mb
UK cities with the fastest broadband speeds
Belfast: 152.2 MbPortsmouth: 122.0 MbMilton Keynes: 117.2 MbLondonderry: 114.9 MbPlymouth: 109.5 MbSouthend-on-Sea: 104.4 MbSouthampton: 103.4 MbYork: 97.3 MbEdinburgh: 96.3 MbCoventry: 95.1 Mb
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.’
Average broadband speeds in UK cities (Mbs)
Canterbury 34.3Ripon 39.9Chester 43.6Carlisle 46Worcester 46.9Wakefield 47.1Newport 48.2Norwich 48.8Wells 49.3Durham 49.3Truro 50.8Chichester 51.2Wrexham 51.7Armagh 51.8Lancaster 53.2Inverness 53.6Colchester 53.6Perth 54.2Sheffield 54.7Swansea 55.8Newry 57Winchester 57.1Doncaster 58.3Aberdeen 58.3Bath 58.6Sunderland 59.4Salford 61.3Exeter 63.2Newcastle upon Tyne 63.2Dunfermline 64.9Hereford 65Oxford 65.8Birmingham 66Chelmsford 66.6Bangor 67Leeds 67.5Bradford 68.1Brighton 69Leicester 70.4Gloucester 71Preston 71.3Ely 73.5Peterborough 74.1Manchester 75Lisburn 78.6Salisbury 78.8Dundee 78.9Cardiff 79.2Bristol 79.6Cambridge 80.5Glasgow 82.6Lichfield 83.4Lincoln 83.5Stoke-on-Trent 84.3Liverpool 85.5Derby 85.9London 86.7Nottingham 90St Albans 91.1Wolverhampton 92.2Hull 94.9Coventry 95.1Edinburgh 96.3York 97.3Southampton 103.4Southend-on-Sea 104.4Plymouth 109.5Londonderry 114.9Milton Keynes 117.2Portsmouth 122Belfast 152.2
Please note: St Asaphs and St Davids are not included as the sample size was too small to be reliable