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Ever wondered which city in the UK has the fastest or slowest broadband? Well, you’re in the right place! Broadband Genie has analysed over 149,000 speed tests across the UK to find the fastest and slowest cities for 2024.
As things stand, the UK’s broadband landscape is looking positive; 18.7 million homes (62%) have access to full fibre broadband and gigabit broadband is available to 85%, with plans to have nationwide coverage by 2030.
Our cities should be at the forefront of the best broadband connections. But some areas offer residents better speeds than others, and many factors can affect the service what customers receive.
Lichfield is the UK's fastest city for broadband
The vibrant and historic city of Lichfield, nestled in the south of Staffordshire, recorded broadband average speeds of 359Mb over a 12-month period — more than twice the speed of second place — Newry, Northern Ireland.
The majority of the area is connected with both full fibre supplied by Openreach (which powers popular providers such as BT, TalkTalk, and Vodafone) and Virgin Media, which offers plenty of bang for your buck.
19% of the area is connected by at least one altnet, these traditionally offer fantastic value for money when it comes to speed. In total, 81% of the city has access to Gigabit speeds.
Top five slickest cities for broadband in the UK
| Rank | City | County | Broadband speed (Mb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lichfield | Staffordshire | 359 |
| 2 | Newry | County Armagh and County Down | 138 |
| 3 | Ely | Cambridgeshire | 118 |
| 4 | Dundee | Angus | 100 |
| 5 | Lisburn |
County Antrim |
99 |
Canterbury is the UK’s slowest city
Unfortunately for Canterbury, this is the second consecutive year it’s the UK’s slowest city. On average, residents receive broadband speeds of 22Mb. This is failing to reach the bare minimum offered by the most basic superfast broadband packages.
The area lacks the otherwise widely available Virgin Media and almost a third of premises don’t have access to full fibre broadband. However, other factors can influence the results. Faulty infrastructure and Wi-Fi connectivity issues can dampen the performance. Plus, a lack of awareness of better speeds, unwillingness to pay for an upgrade, and confusing terminology may put off some customers. This results in more people staying on slow broadband deals which aren’t fit for purpose.
Top five slowest cities for broadband in the UK
| Rank | City | Area | Broadband speed (Mb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canterbury | Kent | 22 |
| 2 | Ripon |
North Yorkshire |
28 |
| 3 | Perth | Perthshire | 37 |
| 4 | Norwich | Norfolk | 38 |
| 5 | Winchester | Hampshire | 40 |
Full results
After a year of dwindling broadband speeds, the UK’s second-slowest city, Ripon, is unchanged from 2023. Similar to Canterbury, the Cathedral City in North Yorkshire failed to provide residents with average broadband speeds of a basic fibre deal.
However, there may be hope for Ripon residents; CityFibre is connecting thousands of premises to full fibre broadband and altnet, Zzoomm is planning to build in the area.
Last year's winner, Belfast, dropped to 15th and is no longer the UK’s fastest capital either. Edinburgh average broadband speeds of 78Mb means it’s take the top spot for UK capitals. London and Cardiff are a mediocre 38th and 56th respectively.
Slickest cities: full results table
| Rank | City | Broadband speed (Mb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lichfield | 359 |
| 2 | Newry | 138 |
| 3 | Ely | 118 |
| 4 | Dundee | 100 |
| 5 | Lisburn | 99 |
| 6 | Oxford | 94 |
| 7 | Stoke-on-trent | 91 |
| 8 | Cambridge | 85 |
| 9 | Bangor | 83 |
| 10 | Liverpool | 81 |
| 11 | Hull | 80 |
| 12 | Edinburgh | 78 |
| 13 | Inverness | 77 |
| 14 | Dunfermline | 77 |
| 15 | Belfast | 76 |
| 16 | Londonderry | 75 |
| 17 | Hereford | 74 |
| 18 | Nottingham | 73 |
| 19 | Manchester | 72 |
| 20 | St Albans | 67 |
| 21 | Derby | 67 |
| 22 | Coventry | 66 |
| 23 | Armagh | 66 |
| 24 | Colchester | 66 |
| 25 | Wrexham | 65 |
| 26 | Durham | 64 |
| 27 | Wakefield | 64 |
| 28 | Plymouth | 62 |
| 29 | Salisbury | 62 |
| 30 | Truro | 62 |
| 31 | Stirling | 62 |
| 32 | Southampton | 61 |
| 33 | Brighton | 61 |
| 34 | Chelmsford | 61 |
| 35 | Leeds | 60 |
| 36 | Newport | 58 |
| 37 | Chichester | 57 |
| 38 | London | 57 |
| 39 | Bristol | 57 |
| 40 | Sheffield | 57 |
| 41 | Swansea | 57 |
| 42 | Sunderland | 57 |
| 43 | Leicester | 56 |
| 44 | Bath | 56 |
| 45 | Lancaster | 56 |
| 46 | Gloucester | 56 |
| 47 | Lincoln | 56 |
| 48 | Southend-on-Sea | 54 |
| 49 | Glasgow | 54 |
| 50 | Preston | 54 |
| 51 | Portsmouth | 53 |
| 52 | Salford | 51 |
| 53 | Wolverhampton | 51 |
| 54 | Bradford | 50 |
| 55 | Doncaster | 50 |
| 56 | Cardiff | 50 |
| 57 | Milton Keynes | 49 |
| 58 | Carlisle | 46 |
| 59 | Worcester | 46 |
| 60 | Newcastle | 45 |
| 61 | Peterborough | 45 |
| 62 | Exeter | 45 |
| 63 | Chester | 44 |
| 64 | York | 43 |
| 65 | Aberdeen | 42 |
| 66 | Birmingham | 41 |
| 67 | Winchester | 40 |
| 68 | Norwich | 38 |
| 69 | Perth | 37 |
| 70 | Ripon | 28 |
| 71 | Canterbury | 22 |
What can influence broadband speed and how to improve it
Broadband is the one utility where the service you receive will be different from one household to another, even as close as your neighbour. Some of these will be factors out of your control, while others will be things users can change. The list below covers both, with some tips to improve broadband speed:
1. The difference between fibre and full fibre
Not all broadband contracts are the same. An entry-level fibre broadband deal will deliver download speeds starting at 34Mb, but full fibre connections are capable of delivering speeds above 1Gb (1,000Mb). However, with a higher speed, usually comes a higher price. You can find more information and compare fibre broadband deals here.
2. Router placement / position
Poor router placement can compromise the Wi-Fi signal. Keep your router away from thick walls, other electrical devices and place on the ground floor as close to the middle of your home as you can.
It’s common to have limited options when it comes to placement, so you may need to use Wi-Fi boosters to help the signal or use an Ethernet cable.
3. Slower broadband speeds at peak times
When everyone uses online devices at the same time, it can cause a surge in internet traffic and slow down broadband performance. It may not be noticeable, but in the UK, peak hours are typically between 7pm and 11pm.
4. Number of users
You’ll benefit from a faster broadband speed for every person and device connected to your network. You can view details of users on your internet connection within your router settings. If you see any unwelcome visitors, you can boot them out of the network and change the password to avoid this happening again.
5. Faulty broadband line
A faulty line can reduce performance or completely wipe out your broadband. The majority of broadband providers will have a service status checker which will flag any known issues in the area. If you run a speed test and aren’t receiving the broadband speed you signed up for, contact your provider.
6. Distance to your local exchange
The further your property is from the local street cabinet or exchange, the slower your connection will be. This is only an issue for broadband customers with an entry-level fibre deal, which is likely connected by copper wires from your local cabinet to your home.
7. Hardware
If you have an old router, you may be due an upgrade and benefit from an upgraded Wi-Fi router or hub. You can speak to your provider, or shop around to purchase one yourself.
8. Device and browser
Check if your connected device has a systems update available, and do the same for your browser. Not only will this help with performance, it’s best practice for security.
What is a good broadband speed
The broadband speed you need will depend on how many people are in your home, and what they go online for. We recommend the following as a rough minimum requirement:
- 1-person households: 35Mb average download speed
- Up to 3 people: 35Mb - 64Mb average download speed
- Up to 5 people: 50Mb - 100Mb average download speed
- 5+ people: 100Mb+ average download speed
Which is the fastest broadband provider?
Brillband is the UK’s fastest broadband provider. Customers on average receive broadband speeds of 523Mb. However, (for now) you’ll only be able to sign up in certain areas of Scotland.
Virgin Media is the fastest widely available provider, in our study, users received download speeds of 201Mb and it’s available to 54% of the UK.
How can I test my broadband speed?
You can test your broadband connection for free with our broadband speed test. For the most accurate results, pause other activity on the connection. If you're using a laptop or computer, connect to your router using an Ethernet cable.
Run tests at different times of the day, as peak times can affect the performance of your connection. It’s also best to use various broadband speed tests to get the best picture of your connection.
How is broadband speed measured?
Broadband speed is measured in megabits per second (‘Mbps’ or ‘Mb’). In terms of data storage, a megabit is 1/8th the size of a megabyte. This means a 1Mb connection will be able to transfer 1MB (megabyte) of data in eight seconds.
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Methodology
We analysed a total of 149,187 home speed tests recorded between a 12-month period. Cities were ranked from fastest to slowest on weighted broadband speed. To calculate the weighted broadband speed in each area, the 10th, 50th and 90th percentile (median) was taken from all locations for both download and upload speed. Percentile download and upload speeds were then calculated into an average using a 1:8:1 weighted ratio (to emphasise and represent what the majority of customers experience daily). The final ‘weighted speed’ is based on an 80/20% split of download and upload speed.
To qualify for the study, cities needed a minimum of 150 speed tests in the area from residential connections. The list of cities was taken from gov.uk - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-cities/list-of-cities-html
Speed tests were recorded through the Broadband Genie speed test and other partners using the BroadbandUK speed test solution.
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We need your address to show you the broadband deals available at your home. This information is gathered in partnership with thinkbroadband.
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