The most recent data on broadband speeds indicates that a significant number of households in the UK are still facing challenges with internet connections that do not meet the government’s minimum requirements.
Broadband Genie’s analysis of over 144,000 consumer speed tests revealed that many users are struggling to achieve download speeds of 10Mbps, which is considered the basic threshold for a satisfactory broadband service in the UK.
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 faster 100Mbps connection.
In terms of performance, mobile broadband users relying on 4G and 5G networks are more likely to experience slower speeds. Vodafone’s Mobile Broadband service had the lowest performance, with 34.1% of customers failing to reach the 10Mbps minimum download speed. Three Home Broadband and EE Mobile Home Broadband followed closely behind.
Among traditional fixed-line broadband providers, EE had the weakest performance, with 24.3% of customers falling below the 10Mbps download speed threshold. TalkTalk, Plusnet, and BT also had a notable percentage of users experiencing subpar speeds.
On the other end of the spectrum, smaller alternative broadband networks known as alt-nets, such as Zzoomm, Hey! Broadband, Onestream, toob, and Squirrel, stood out as the top performers, with fewer than 2% of their customers experiencing speeds below the government’s minimum requirement.
Broadband Genie strategist Alex Tofts expressed concern over the findings, emphasizing that it is unacceptable for customers not to receive a satisfactory broadband speed as defined by the government. He advised customers to report persistent speed issues to their providers and highlighted that they can exit their contracts without penalties if providers fail to resolve speed issues in accordance with Ofcom’s Speed Code of Practice.