Lichfield tops UK broadband speed rankings 

News 

In a new study by UK broadband comparison site Broadband Genie, the city of Lichfield in Staffordshire has been crowned the UK’s fastest for broadband in 2024. Canterbury, Kent, remains the slowest for the second year running

For the study, Broadband Genie conducted 149,187 home speed tests in cities across the country over a 12-month period. In order for a city to be counted, it needed a minimum of 150 speed tests in the area from residential connections. 

Broadband winners and losers 

Lichfield took the lead with an average broadband speed of 359Mbps, more than doubling the speed of its nearest competitor, Newry in Northern Ireland, which recorded an average of 138Mbps. Its strong performance is largely attributed to Lichfield’s widespread access to full fibre broadband from Openreach and Virgin Media, and other smaller altnets, over the latter of which cover 19% of the city. 

Joining Lichfield and Newry in the top five are Ely in Cambridgeshire (118Mbps), Dundee in Angus (100Mbps), and Lisburn in County Antrim  (99Mbps).  

All of these speeds are significantly higher than the median average download speed, which Ofcom found to be 69.4Mbps as of March 2023. 

Canterbury’s struggles continue 

At the other end of the rankings, Canterbury has again been identified as the UK’s slowest city, with an average broadband speed of just 22Mbps. This is well below the minimum speeds typically associated with basic superfast broadband packages. Canterbury’s performance is partly due to a lack of coverage by Virgin Media and limited full fibre access, leaving residents with fewer options for faster internet. 

Ripon in North Yorkshire (28Mbps), Perth in Perthshire (37Mbps), Norwich in Norfolk (38Mbps), and Winchester in Hampshire (40Mbps) also ranked among the slowest cities. 

In the capital cities, Edinburgh emerged as the fastest, with average speeds of 78Mb, surpassing both London and Cardiff, which placed 38th and 56th respectively. Last year’s speed leader, Belfast, fell to 15th place in the latest rankings. 

The UK’s current broadband landscape 

Despite the challenges faced by some cities, the UK’s overall broadband landscape is positive. According to the study, 18.7 million homes (62%) have access to full fibre broadband, and gigabit broadband is available to 85% of households.  

The government has set the target for nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030, aiming to close the country’s digital divide. 

Join the conversation around the UK’s broadband landscape at this year’s Connected Britain, 11-12 September in London. Get tickets here! 

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