Erw Fawr, Henryd in North Wales and Wheatley Road, Corringham in Essex have been named as the two streets in Britain with the slowest broadband speeds in a new report based on a survey by uSwitch.com, an independent price comparison and switching service.
According to the latest consumer speed test data collected by uSwitch, based on 1,896,977 consumer speed tests over the six-month period Aug 2013 - Jan 2014, the country's slowest streets offered an average download speed of 0.60 Mbps, 30 times slower than the UK average speed of 17.8Mbps and 96 times slower than the country's streets with the fastest connections.
The 'top' 10 streets with the worst broadband connections are listed below:
|
Rank |
Street Name & Location |
Average Download Speed (Mbps) |
|
1= |
Erw Fawr, Henryd, Conwy, Wales |
0.60 |
|
1= |
Wheatley Road, Corringham, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex |
0.60 |
|
3 |
Station Road, Swineshead, Boston, Lincolnshire |
0.65 |
|
4 |
Kelvin Grove, North Shields, Tyne and Wear |
0.74 |
|
5 |
Maple Crescent, Alveley, Bridgnorth, Shropshire |
0.91 |
|
6 |
Evesham Road (nr Church Lane), Norton, Evesham, Worcestershire |
0.92 |
|
7 |
Meadow View (nr Rectory Road), Castle Carrock, Brampton, Cumbria |
0.94 |
|
8 |
Canal Street, Oakthorpe, Swadlincote, Leicestershire |
0.96 |
|
9 |
Pickleys Lane, Doveridge, Ashbourne, Derbyshire |
0.99 |
|
10 |
Dereham Road (nr Chancel Lane), Garvestone, Norwich, Norfolk |
1.03 |
Here are the top 10 streets, with the best internet connections:
|
Rank |
Street Name & Location |
Average Download Speed (Mbps) |
|
1 |
Loundes Road, Unstone, Dronfield, Derbyshire |
57.58 |
|
2 |
Spencer Close, Swindon, Wiltshire |
50.60 |
|
3 |
Northam Drive, Ripley, Derbyshire |
44.67 |
|
4 |
Byfletts, Basildon, Essex |
41.47 |
|
5 |
Mill Lane (nr Malvern Close), North Hykeham, Lincoln, Lincolnshire |
38.88 |
|
6 |
Lymington Road (nr Barton Court Road), New Milton, Hampshire |
35.70 |
|
7 |
Littlewood Lane, Walsall, Staffordshire |
35.64 |
|
8 |
Camel Road, London |
34.62 |
|
9 |
Pen-Y-Graig Road, Brymbo, Wrexham |
31.91 |
|
10 |
Giffins Close, Braintree, Essex |
30.33 |
The contrast is clear, people with the fastest speeds may take only 10 minutes to down an HD-quality movie, where as the people with slowest speeds can take up to 15 hours. uSwitch's survey also showed that only 15 per cent of Brits are enjoying broadband speed classified by the EU as 'superfast' (30Mbps or higher), while 40 per cent of us experience average speeds of below 5Mbps. Figures from Ofcom indicate that superfast broadband is now available to 73 per cent of the UK, yet only 9 per cent of the population is using it, suggesting that the uptake of superfast connections is low.
"There are still areas in the UK which experience broadband speeds so slow the service is negligible. At the same time, superfast broadband connections are becoming more widely available but, as our research suggests, these are clearly not being utilised," said Marie-Louise Abretti, broadband expert at uSwitch.com. "Poor connectivity can severely affect local businesses, impact house prices and children’s education, which is why it's crucial the government keeps its eye on the ball when it comes to improving UK broadband infrastructure, particularly in remote rural areas," she added.
In response to the survey, an Ofcom spokesperson said: "Ofcom's own research shows growth in superfast broadband and a rise in average speeds which is testament to the investment in the sector. But the benefits are not shared evenly across the UK," reports the BBC.
The government announced earlier this year that £250m has been set aside to improve broadband services in remote areas. The money is said to have been divided between local councils where each will have a month to work out how they will spend it to ensure superfast broadband is available to the majority of homes.
You can find out more information about broadband speed on your street just by clicking here. Is your download speed much better or worse than your neighbours?
