London’s broadband speed falls behind in UK Rankings

New research by Broadband Genie has revealed significant disparities in broadband speeds across the UK, with London surprisingly ranking far lower than expected.

The study, which analyzed over 348,000 home speed tests across 1,302 locations, placed London at a lowly 587th in the national rankings.

This places the capital’s broadband speeds at over six times slower than the UK’s fastest location, South Hetton in County Durham. While Londoners recorded an average broadband speed of 82Mb, this is considered unremarkable for a major hub of finance, commerce, and education.

The research also highlighted that 20% of Londoners experience broadband speeds lower than 10Mb, and 4% struggle with speeds below 3Mb, the minimum required for streaming Netflix.

Penge in London was identified as a particular broadband not-spot, ranking as the 11th worst location in the UK for broadband speed. Other areas in London with subpar broadband include Stratford (1,259th) and Stoke Newington (1,237th). These areas all recorded speeds below 30Mb, slower than entry-level fibre deals.

Despite these poor results, 92% of premises in London have access to broadband capable of delivering 1Gb download speeds, compared to 87% for the whole of the UK. Other major cities also performed poorly in the rankings, including Manchester (291st), Leeds (422nd), Glasgow (510th), and Birmingham (824th).

Nationally, South Hetton is the UK’s fastest location for broadband, while Lostwithiel in Cornwall has the slowest. Rutland is the fastest area for broadband speed, and the Orkney Islands in Scotland are the slowest. Lostwithiel recorded a broadband download speed of just 2Mb.

Top 5 slowest locations in the UK for broadband speed

Scotland occupies the top 5 slowest areas in the UK, with the Orkney Islands having the slowest broadband speed. Rutland, in the East Midlands, is the UK’s fastest area for broadband, with speeds over 30 times faster than the Orkney Islands.

Top 5 slowest counties in the UK for broadband speed

Broadband Genie strategist Alex Tofts commented on London’s poor performance, stating: “While it may be surprising, complaints of slow internet in London aren’t something new. Many connections will still be using copper wires between the exchange to their home. The landscape of London causes many challenges for installing fast, full-fibre broadband. The highly densely populated area and the disruption and costs to install new infrastructure are all barriers to deployment.”

Tofts also advised consumers to check their broadband deals, as faster speeds may be available. He added that issues within the home, such as poor wiring or router placement, can also affect broadband speed.

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