The most recent data on broadband speeds reveals that a significant number of households in the UK are facing challenges with internet connectivity below the government’s specified minimum standard. Broadband Genie’s analysis of over 144,000 speed tests indicates that some users struggle to achieve download speeds of 10Mbps, which is considered the baseline for a satisfactory broadband service by the UK government.
To put it into perspective, downloading a full HD movie with a 10Mbps connection would take more than 40 minutes, compared to just 5 minutes with a 100Mbps connection.
Regarding the worst-performing providers, the study highlights that mobile broadband users, relying on 4G and 5G networks instead of fixed-line connections, are more prone to encountering slow speeds. Vodafone’s Mobile Broadband service ranked at the bottom, with 34.1% of customers failing to meet the 10Mbps download speed threshold. This was followed by Three Home Broadband with 28.8%, and EE Mobile Home Broadband with 25.8%.
Among traditional fixed-line broadband providers, EE exhibited the poorest performance. Broadband Genie’s findings revealed that 24.3% of EE customers did not achieve the 10Mbps download speed, and 21% fell short of the 1Mbps minimum upload speed. Following EE were TalkTalk, Plusnet, and BT.
On the other end of the spectrum, the top-performing providers were alternative broadband networks known as alt-nets. Zzoomm, Hey! Broadband, Onestream, toob, and Squirrel had less than 2% of customers experiencing speeds below the government’s minimum requirement.
Broadband Genie strategist Alex Tofts expressed disbelief at the number of customers not receiving a ‘decent’ broadband speed according to government standards. He emphasized that customers should not tolerate slow broadband and encouraged reporting persistent speed issues to providers. In cases where the provider cannot resolve the problem, customers may be able to terminate their contracts without penalties if the provider is committed to Ofcom’s Speed Code of Practice.