Slow Broadband Tips: Study Reveals Why (And Where) Your Broadband Is Slow

A street in Wales and another in Essex have been declared the slowest in the UK for broadband speeds in a new report.

The research, which was carried out by online comparison site uSwitch.com, found that Erw Fawr in Henryd in Wales and Wheatley Road in Stanford-Le-Hope, Essex, both registered an average download speed of 0.60 megabytes per second, which is 30 times slower than the UK national average.

Those results were 96 times slower than the street with the fastest download speed, Loundes Road in Unstone, Derbyshire, according to uSwitch.

Above: behold - the slowest broadband street in the UK

Marie-Louise Abretti, a broadband expert at uSwitch.com, said: "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."

uSwitch's research found that only 15% of UK residents have access to a broadband connection of 30Mbps or higher, the speed which is required to earn the tag of "superfast" as set out by the EU. uSwitch also quote figures from Ofcom in their findings that show that while 73% of the UK now have access to superfast broadband, their findings suggest fewer than 10% can utilise it.

According to the report, those living on the two slowest streets would have to wait more than 15 hours to download an HD-quality movie, while those on Loundes Road, the fastest, could download the same movie in less than 10 minutes.

"More needs to be done to increase awareness of availability and cost. Superfast broadband isn't as expensive as some users might think, with prices starting at £16 per month plus £15 for line rental," said Abretti.

"Paying line rental upfront can result in savings of around £50 per year and many of the providers have introductory offers. So, for households in the slow lane, superfast broadband could be well worth considering.

Above: Wheatley Road in Essex has the UK's second slowest broadband

"Broadband is now widely considered the fourth utility, but our speed test data shows that not everyone is getting a decent service.

"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."

The report comes just days after technology business leaders met in London to discuss how to improve the UK's position within the technology sector, including calls for the Government to push more children into technology careers from a young age.

Deputy mayor of London for business and enterprise, Kit Malthouse spoke at the Tech London Advocates event, saying:

"In the future, technology should become a central part of the Government's economic policy, and it is certainly very important to London."