Study: UK broadband speeds rising
October 21, 2022
By Colin Mann
As the availability of future-proof, full-fibre technology improves, and more people upgrade their connections, average home broadband speeds in the UK are increasing, according to the Home Broadband Performance report from comms regulator Ofcom, which reveals that the median average speed of a home broadband connection has reached 59.4 Mbit/s. That represents an 18 per cent increase from 50.4 Mbit/s the previous year, and a 60 per cent increase on the average speed recorded in 2018 (37 Mbit/s).
Furthermore, 91 per cent of homes from Ofcom’s study now take a superfast package (advertised download speed of at least 30 Mbit/s), up from 85 per cent 12 months before.
Previous Ofcom research has shown that over seven million broadband households are out of contract and paying more than they need to. Prices tend to go up if customers do nothing when their initial contract period ends. But there are lots of heavily discounted deals on offer when signing up to a new contract.
That means some people could save money and upgrade to a faster package at the same time.
For those on the lowest incomes, special discounted packages known as ‘social tariffs’ are available for around £10 (€11.42) to £20. These also offer superfast connections, meaning eligible households don’t need to compromise on speeds while making savings of £150 a year.