If you happen to live in Watford you could be facing some of the worst broadband in Britain. New research from the team at Broadband Genie has exposed the UK’s most dismal downloads and it seems homes across the country are still suffering from speeds that are well under 3Mbps.
At that dismal rate, it would take a whopping 10 hours to download a full HD movie – that’s over 60 times slower than the UK average. According to Broadband Genie, Morriston Close in Watford has the slowest broadband speeds with this area averaging just 0.6Mbps.
This is followed by Wade Court, Cheltenham (1.2Mbps), Leazes Lane, Bishop Auckland (1.38Mbps) and Borstal Street, Rochester (1.39Mbps).
At the other end of the scale is Meadway, Northampton with residents in this lucky street getting speeds in excess of 890Mbps. The same full HD movie would take just 40 seconds with this broadband pumped through the walls.
Clearly, those with the slowest speeds will feel like that are being left behind but Broadband Genie says a quick check of your postcode could see downloads getting faster.
Although some areas aren’t yet connected to full fibre from Openreach – a firm that’s used by suppliers such as BT, Sky and TalkTalk – there are plenty of other providers that may have laid their own cables right outside homes.
For example, Virgin Media, Community Fibre, City Fibre and Hyperoptic all have their own technology but homes need to switch to get access to it.
Speaking about the stats, Alex Tofts, broadband expert at Broadband Genie, said: “No customer should put up with sluggish broadband, especially in a year where we’ve had to endure record high mid-contract price rises.
“Overall, the Watford area, including Morriston Close, does have access to fast broadband. Our research highlights that residents of Britain’s slowest streets could be suffering in silence, as faster broadband is available to their homes.
“If you haven’t reviewed your broadband contract in the last two years, it’s likely you can switch or renew to a faster deal at no extra cost.
“The majority of widely available providers are signed up to Ofcom’s Broadband Speeds Code of Practice. If your provider has signed up to this, but it can’t resolve your issue within 30 days, you are entitled to leave your contract free of charge.”