UK Internet Speeds and Statistics, Oct 2024

Summary of Internet Service Providers in the UK

The internet service providers (ISPs) in the UK vary in their performance according to different aspects such as the number of tests analysed, maximum download speeds, average download speeds, median download speeds, average upload speeds, and median upload speeds. Here's a summary of some key data points from the data. We have data on 11 alt-nets in the UK.

Download Speeds

The ISP with the highest median download speed was Hey!Broadband, with a speed of 472 Mbps. They held first rank in average download speed at 466 Mbps. However, in terms of maximum download speed, they ranked 44th with a speed of 932 Mbps.

The highest maximum download speed was offered by BT with an impressive speed of 5,146 Mbps. However, their average and median speeds were significantly lower, ranking 51st and 52nd respectively.

G.Network provided the second-highest maximum speed (4,897 Mbps) but had higher average and median speeds than BT, ranking seventh and ninth for each category.

The provider with the lowest median download speed was Shell Energy at just 3.79 Mbps. Their average download speed was also low, ranking 72nd out of 72 providers.

Upload Speeds

Hey!Broadband was also the leading ISP in terms of median and average upload speeds, with speeds of 463 Mbps and 461 Mbps respectively.

toob and Trunk Networks ranked third and second in terms of median upload speed, but they both outperformed Solway Communications which had the sixth highest median upload speed.

The provider with the lowest median upload speed was Shell Energy, with a speed of just 4.26 Mbps. They also had the lowest average upload speed of the analysed ISPs.

Overall

BT and Virgin Media had significantly larger amounts of tests conducted, with 5,649,226 and 5,084,145 tests respectively. This could be due to their large user bases.

Interestingly, despite the large number of tests, BT and Virgin Media were not leaders in any category. BT ranked 52nd and 51st in median and average download speeds respectively, while Virgin Media ranked at 19th and 24th in these categories.

It's also worth noting that the maximum download speed and the average/median download speeds do not always align. For example, while BT and G.Network offered some of the highest maximum speeds, their average and median speeds were lower, suggesting that these high speeds may not be consistently available to all users.

See broadband deals and offers for the United Kingdom.

#	Provider Name	Max Speed	Typical Speed Range	# Regions
1	Hyperoptic	3,140 Mbps	113—371 Mbps	95
2	Virgin Media	4,208 Mbps	121—304 Mbps	170
3	Zen Internet	2,534 Mbps	53—246 Mbps	171
4	Vodafone	1,517 Mbps	57—214 Mbps	183
5	BT	5,146 Mbps	39—145 Mbps	183
6	Andrews & Arnold	935 Mbps	51—106 Mbps	81
7	Plusnet	943 Mbps	35—87 Mbps	184
8	Sky Broadband	1,856 Mbps	36—89 Mbps	181
9	TalkTalk	1,255 Mbps	35—75 Mbps	183
10	EE	1,614 Mbps	32—74 Mbps	181
11	Shell Energy	2,815 Mbps	2.97—6.61 Mbps	62
12	Hey!Broadband	932 Mbps	395—742 Mbps	5
13	Trunk Networks	1,023 Mbps	162—600 Mbps	43
14	toob	3,243 Mbps	140—587 Mbps	5
15	Call Flow Solutions	2,127 Mbps	153—491 Mbps	18
16	Brsk	1,827 Mbps	129—476 Mbps	13
17	Solway Communications	943 Mbps	167—430 Mbps	28
18	G.Network	4,897 Mbps	137—417 Mbps	10
19	Community Fibre	4,679 Mbps	116—472 Mbps	5
20	B4RN	1,280 Mbps	84—519 Mbps	21
21	YouFibre	4,442 Mbps	142—448 Mbps	11
22	Pure Broadband	853 Mbps	177—338 Mbps	3
23	Giganet	943 Mbps	126—456 Mbps	87
24	TrueSpeed Communications	1,204 Mbps	129—398 Mbps	12
25	Box Broadband	1,509 Mbps	97—409 Mbps	4
26	iDNET	2,246 Mbps	70—459 Mbps	84
27	Ogi	1,025 Mbps	142—303 Mbps	20
28	Contingency Networks	938 Mbps	72—370 Mbps	13
29	Lit Fibre	992 Mbps	98—401 Mbps	9
30	telcom (Velocity Fibre)	2,640 Mbps	96—324 Mbps	30
31	Cambridge Fibre	944 Mbps	165—261 Mbps	5
32	Gigaclear	945 Mbps	105—334 Mbps	50
33	Connexin	2,300 Mbps	71—388 Mbps	8
34	County Broadband	947 Mbps	95—297 Mbps	9
35	Exascale	932 Mbps	89—279 Mbps	8
36	WightFibre	1,454 Mbps	109—312 Mbps	6
37	Origin Broadband	4,283 Mbps	89—304 Mbps	24
38	Pure Fibre	944 Mbps	77—305 Mbps	10
39	Glide	1,775 Mbps	92—254 Mbps	63
40	Independent Fibre Networks	3,230 Mbps	73—223 Mbps	63
41	Optimity	876 Mbps	83—243 Mbps	6
42	FastNet	2,046 Mbps	39—207 Mbps	21
43	FibreNest	536 Mbps	76—252 Mbps	16
44	Pine Media	813 Mbps	70—262 Mbps	4
45	KCOM	2,380 Mbps	67—266 Mbps	114
46	Cerberus Networks	937 Mbps	65—262 Mbps	49
47	Internetty	908 Mbps	71—227 Mbps	6
48	Manx Telecom	777 Mbps	83—187 Mbps	1
49	Wessex Internet	918 Mbps	81—231 Mbps	7
50	NYnet	899 Mbps	69—225 Mbps	11
51	Zone Broadband	863 Mbps	61—221 Mbps	24
52	Airband	910 Mbps	40—228 Mbps	13
53	Structured Communications	913 Mbps	27—149 Mbps	12
54	Spitfire	941 Mbps	60—183 Mbps	57
55	Internet Central	919 Mbps	35—156 Mbps	28
56	CCS Leeds	1,058 Mbps	64—136 Mbps	49
57	uno	928 Mbps	40—189 Mbps	17
58	CIX	1,996 Mbps	32—104 Mbps	148
59	Gradwell	924 Mbps	42—73 Mbps	19
60	Juice Broadband	871 Mbps	39—108 Mbps	5
61	Sure Guernsey	927 Mbps	41—123 Mbps	1
62	Village Networks	748 Mbps	36—98 Mbps	2
63	Go Internet	930 Mbps	29—92 Mbps	11
64	Scotnet.co.uk	863 Mbps	28—73 Mbps	12
65	Boundless Networks	900 Mbps	27—84 Mbps	19
66	WiSpire	900 Mbps	20—72 Mbps	13
67	The Phone Coop	891 Mbps	26—71 Mbps	51
68	I Need Broadband	719 Mbps	18—32 Mbps	6
69	O2 Broadband	753 Mbps	8.15—42 Mbps	73
70	W3Z	536 Mbps	17—30 Mbps	6
71	Beacon Broadband	653 Mbps	12—29 Mbps	4
72	Lonsdale Network Services	199 Mbps	9.94—23 Mbps	3

United Kingdom Broadband Speeds Over Time

As of September 2024, most people's internet connections in the UK are rated fast, with approximately 30% of its residents seeing speeds over 80 Mbps and up to 300 Mbps. A year ago, this figure was 26%, an increase of roughly 14% year-on-year.

Looking at The UK's very fast internet connections - getting download speeds over 300 Mbps - right now about 17% of its residents have internet connections supporting these very high speeds. Compared to September 2023, this is a percentage increase of around 27%, rising up from 12% over the previous 12 months.

The number of people suffering from slow or very slow internet connections in The UK's currently stands at 23% of its population. This represents a percentage drop of about 25% since September 2023 when 29% of people in the UK put up with speeds worryingly low: under 10 Mbps and up to 30 Mbps.

We class broadband speed distributions as follows: very slow under 10 Mbps; slow 10-30 Mbps; adequate 30-60 Mbps; good 60-80 Mbps; fast 80-300 Mbps; very fast over 300 Mbps.

The United Kingdom Regions By Broadband Speed

The broadband speed data for cities and regions in the UK reveal interesting disparities in their respective digital infrastructures.

Hartlepool stands out as the top location for both median download speeds (122 Mbps) and average download speeds (173 Mbps), while ranking 114th for maximum download speeds (1,128 Mbps). Redcar and Cleveland follows closely with the second-highest median (114 Mbps) and average download speeds (163 Mbps) but ranks 138th for the maximum download speed (1,066 Mbps).

Kingston upon Hull has the third-highest median download speed (112 Mbps) and the third-highest average download speed (180 Mbps). However, it ranks 26th for the maximum download speed (2,300 Mbps). On the other hand, Cornwall ranks 171st in terms of median download speed (43 Mbps) and 171st for average speed (86 Mbps), but it does significantly better in maximum speed, ranking 28th (2,268 Mbps).

The location with the highest maximum download speed is Surrey with a maximum speed of 5,146 Mbps, far surpassing other locations. However, Surrey ranks 66th in median download speed (70 Mbps) and 33rd in average speed (143 Mbps).

Interestingly, Durham ranks 114th for median download speed (63 Mbps), but jumps to 62nd place for average speed (134 Mbps), indicating a consistent high-speed internet experience for some users.

Kent also stands out, ranking only 113rd for median download speed (63 Mbps). However, it boasts the sixth maximum speed (3,230 Mbps) and ranks 63rd for average speed (134 Mbps).

Position	Region	Max Speed	Typical Speed Range	50%	# Providers
1	Hartlepool	1,128	74—276 Mbps	122 Mbps	11
2	Redcar and Cleveland	1,066	74—267 Mbps	114 Mbps	10
3	Kingston upon Hull	2,300	93—294 Mbps	112 Mbps	12
4	Portsmouth	1,792	72—324 Mbps	108 Mbps	17
5	Northamptonshire	3,083	71—317 Mbps	101 Mbps	32
6	East Dunbartonshire	1,326	70—262 Mbps	100 Mbps	10
7	Solihull	1,656	69—269 Mbps	97 Mbps	16
8	North Lanarkshire	1,129	68—256 Mbps	97 Mbps	12
9	North East Lincolnshire	1,669	66—266 Mbps	93 Mbps	13
10	Falkirk	1,066	67—249 Mbps	93 Mbps	7
11	Vale of Glamorgan	1,140	69—256 Mbps	92 Mbps	15
12	Thurrock	2,319	65—261 Mbps	91 Mbps	14
13	Southampton	3,243	63—402 Mbps	90 Mbps	20
14	Blackburn with Darwen	1,114	62—259 Mbps	88 Mbps	12
15	St Helens	1,086	63—242 Mbps	87 Mbps	15
16	Warrington	1,314	61—232 Mbps	85 Mbps	13
17	Oldham	1,686	64—248 Mbps	82 Mbps	15
18	Stockport	2,196	63—253 Mbps	81 Mbps	19
19	Ards and North Down	968	64—232 Mbps	81 Mbps	11
20	Stockton-on-Tees	1,053	60—240 Mbps	81 Mbps	15
21	Wirral	1,104	62—246 Mbps	80 Mbps	16
22	Bolton	1,544	61—239 Mbps	78 Mbps	20
23	Derry City and Strabane	937	61—225 Mbps	77 Mbps	11
24	Central Bedfordshire	2,645	61—259 Mbps	77 Mbps	21
25	Newport	1,085	58—244 Mbps	76 Mbps	13
26	East Renfrewshire	1,095	58—234 Mbps	76 Mbps	13
27	Halton	946	58—267 Mbps	76 Mbps	10
28	South Tyneside	1,215	59—240 Mbps	74 Mbps	9
29	North Somerset	2,209	57—236 Mbps	74 Mbps	20
30	Antrim and Newtownabbey	1,021	60—204 Mbps	74 Mbps	10
31	Salford	1,526	61—241 Mbps	74 Mbps	20
32	Hertfordshire	3,071	57—254 Mbps	73 Mbps	33
33	Lisburn and Castlereagh	933	57—217 Mbps	73 Mbps	10
34	Belfast	939	58—208 Mbps	73 Mbps	12
35	Renfrewshire	1,590	59—258 Mbps	73 Mbps	13
36	West Dunbartonshire	1,087	59—238 Mbps	73 Mbps	7
37	Kirklees	1,139	57—246 Mbps	73 Mbps	21
38	Nottinghamshire	1,360	56—249 Mbps	73 Mbps	30
39	Poole	1,128	54—260 Mbps	73 Mbps	18
40	Telford and Wrekin	1,120	56—243 Mbps	72 Mbps	12
41	Dundee City	1,134	56—247 Mbps	72 Mbps	12
42	Merthyr Tydfil	1,316	58—226 Mbps	72 Mbps	10
43	Edinburgh	1,132	57—216 Mbps	72 Mbps	16
44	Mid and East Antrim	933	53—212 Mbps	72 Mbps	12
45	Darlington	1,091	56—232 Mbps	72 Mbps	13
46	Bristol	3,143	55—227 Mbps	72 Mbps	24
47	Birmingham	2,308	54—224 Mbps	72 Mbps	34
48	Plymouth	1,580	52—248 Mbps	72 Mbps	13
49	London	4,897	57—244 Mbps	71 Mbps	82
50	Dudley	1,160	54—228 Mbps	71 Mbps	19
51	Wokingham	2,711	55—227 Mbps	71 Mbps	28
52	Knowsley	1,325	55—212 Mbps	71 Mbps	13
53	Bedford	2,725	56—211 Mbps	71 Mbps	18
54	Coventry	1,767	55—211 Mbps	71 Mbps	21
55	Leicestershire	1,376	54—245 Mbps	71 Mbps	26
56	Swansea	1,611	52—219 Mbps	71 Mbps	16
57	Medway	1,244	54—227 Mbps	71 Mbps	19
58	Trafford	1,126	56—212 Mbps	71 Mbps	19
59	Leeds	2,498	55—219 Mbps	71 Mbps	29
60	Neath Port Talbot	1,071	53—246 Mbps	71 Mbps	10
61	Bracknell Forest	1,146	56—246 Mbps	70 Mbps	24
62	Bradford	2,386	53—229 Mbps	70 Mbps	24
63	Walsall	1,467	54—227 Mbps	70 Mbps	19
64	Nottingham	1,306	54—217 Mbps	70 Mbps	20
65	Wolverhampton	1,217	51—220 Mbps	70 Mbps	17
66	Surrey	5,146	52—238 Mbps	70 Mbps	44
67	Middlesbrough	1,100	51—239 Mbps	70 Mbps	11
68	Wakefield	1,521	53—237 Mbps	70 Mbps	18
69	East Ayrshire	1,055	52—247 Mbps	69 Mbps	10
70	Warwickshire	1,620	54—210 Mbps	69 Mbps	27
71	South Lanarkshire	1,065	51—227 Mbps	69 Mbps	13
72	Swindon	1,041	49—225 Mbps	69 Mbps	13
73	Sefton	1,143	52—213 Mbps	69 Mbps	14
74	Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon	965	50—164 Mbps	69 Mbps	13
75	Gloucestershire	1,531	51—208 Mbps	69 Mbps	31
76	Slough	1,047	49—218 Mbps	68 Mbps	19
77	Derby	2,287	52—205 Mbps	68 Mbps	17
78	Flintshire	938	51—146 Mbps	68 Mbps	14
79	Manchester	4,208	52—201 Mbps	68 Mbps	32
80	North Tyneside	1,101	52—209 Mbps	68 Mbps	15
81	Cheshire	1,419	50—189 Mbps	67 Mbps	18
82	Rotherham	1,333	50—207 Mbps	67 Mbps	19
83	West Lothian	1,469	50—184 Mbps	67 Mbps	10
84	Liverpool	3,098	49—176 Mbps	66 Mbps	21
85	South Ayrshire	1,074	48—189 Mbps	66 Mbps	11
86	Staffordshire	1,135	50—206 Mbps	66 Mbps	30
87	Monmouthshire	936	49—157 Mbps	66 Mbps	12
88	Wigan	1,098	50—187 Mbps	66 Mbps	18
89	Causeway Coast and Glens	937	47—164 Mbps	66 Mbps	10
90	Southend-on-Sea	1,151	50—206 Mbps	66 Mbps	12
91	Isle of Wight	1,454	48—219 Mbps	65 Mbps	10
92	Bath and North East Somerset	1,156	49—206 Mbps	65 Mbps	24
93	Bournemouth	1,550	49—222 Mbps	65 Mbps	18
94	Lancashire	1,280	48—202 Mbps	65 Mbps	27
95	Oxfordshire	1,810	49—202 Mbps	65 Mbps	35
96	Angus	1,113	47—220 Mbps	65 Mbps	11
97	Fife	1,125	48—196 Mbps	65 Mbps	14
98	Doncaster	1,134	47—195 Mbps	64 Mbps	23
99	Borough of Bury	1,117	49—147 Mbps	64 Mbps	15
100	North Lincolnshire	1,051	48—214 Mbps	64 Mbps	14
101	Cambridgeshire	1,354	49—199 Mbps	64 Mbps	27
102	Brighton and Hove	2,046	48—193 Mbps	64 Mbps	24
103	Clackmannanshire	1,200	48—148 Mbps	64 Mbps	7
104	Torbay	1,082	45—178 Mbps	64 Mbps	11
105	Leicester	1,848	48—199 Mbps	64 Mbps	23
106	Gateshead	1,681	45—214 Mbps	64 Mbps	16
107	Buckinghamshire	2,806	48—187 Mbps	63 Mbps	32
108	Sandwell	1,240	48—155 Mbps	63 Mbps	20
109	West Berkshire	1,630	47—201 Mbps	63 Mbps	16
110	Essex	2,676	47—200 Mbps	63 Mbps	40
111	East Yorkshire	939	46—184 Mbps	63 Mbps	16
112	Reading	1,681	45—206 Mbps	63 Mbps	24
113	Kent	3,230	46—204 Mbps	63 Mbps	38
114	Durham	4,442	47—184 Mbps	63 Mbps	15
115	Cardiff	2,632	48—150 Mbps	63 Mbps	20
116	Rochdale	2,534	47—184 Mbps	63 Mbps	16
117	Milton Keynes	1,782	48—148 Mbps	62 Mbps	26
118	Hampshire	2,709	47—190 Mbps	62 Mbps	39
119	Blaenau Gwent	945	47—177 Mbps	62 Mbps	7
120	Mid Ulster	1,049	45—146 Mbps	61 Mbps	13
121	Worcestershire	1,131	45—174 Mbps	61 Mbps	28
122	Wrexham	940	44—173 Mbps	61 Mbps	14
123	Peterborough	1,309	46—192 Mbps	61 Mbps	20
124	Blackpool	1,432	46—165 Mbps	61 Mbps	14
125	Barnsley	1,273	46—186 Mbps	61 Mbps	15
126	South Gloucestershire	2,388	45—180 Mbps	60 Mbps	21
127	Sunderland	1,119	45—192 Mbps	60 Mbps	15
128	Glasgow City	1,162	46—147 Mbps	60 Mbps	15
129	West Sussex	1,671	44—182 Mbps	60 Mbps	37
130	Cheshire East	2,205	44—150 Mbps	60 Mbps	23
131	Calderdale	1,126	44—174 Mbps	59 Mbps	17
132	County Borough of Bridgend	1,246	44—146 Mbps	58 Mbps	11
133	Wiltshire	1,131	42—169 Mbps	58 Mbps	28
134	Derbyshire	1,631	43—170 Mbps	57 Mbps	31
135	Newcastle upon Tyne	942	43—147 Mbps	57 Mbps	17
136	Tameside	1,720	43—146 Mbps	57 Mbps	14
137	Sheffield	1,428	41—148 Mbps	57 Mbps	26
138	Stoke-on-Trent	1,364	41—154 Mbps	55 Mbps	15
139	North Ayrshire	1,240	40—149 Mbps	55 Mbps	10
140	Inverclyde	941	42—176 Mbps	55 Mbps	8
141	Newry Mourne and Down	1,673	39—145 Mbps	55 Mbps	11
142	Midlothian	1,041	39—140 Mbps	53 Mbps	10
143	Caerphilly County Borough	1,071	40—142 Mbps	53 Mbps	13
144	Denbighshire	1,044	40—137 Mbps	52 Mbps	14
145	Norfolk	2,501	38—144 Mbps	51 Mbps	27
146	Rhondda Cynon Taf	1,462	39—135 Mbps	51 Mbps	18
147	North Yorkshire	1,230	39—146 Mbps	51 Mbps	25
148	Lincolnshire	1,136	38—141 Mbps	51 Mbps	27
149	Herefordshire	1,430	37—130 Mbps	51 Mbps	18
150	Scottish Borders	1,213	39—142 Mbps	51 Mbps	11
151	Northumberland	1,644	39—143 Mbps	51 Mbps	17
152	Carmarthenshire	995	38—131 Mbps	51 Mbps	10
153	Cumbria	1,537	38—147 Mbps	50 Mbps	20
154	Pembrokeshire	1,168	37—145 Mbps	50 Mbps	11
155	East Lothian	937	37—137 Mbps	50 Mbps	10
156	Windsor and Maidenhead	1,104	38—131 Mbps	50 Mbps	21
157	Aberdeen City	940	37—133 Mbps	50 Mbps	13
158	East Sussex	2,126	37—139 Mbps	49 Mbps	29
159	Perth and Kinross	1,037	35—149 Mbps	49 Mbps	13
160	Suffolk	1,555	36—140 Mbps	49 Mbps	28
161	Ceredigion	935	36—137 Mbps	48 Mbps	11
162	Fermanagh and Omagh	939	34—134 Mbps	48 Mbps	11
163	Shropshire	1,919	36—135 Mbps	48 Mbps	18
164	Devon	2,380	36—134 Mbps	48 Mbps	24
165	Powys	938	36—121 Mbps	47 Mbps	12
166	Somerset	1,508	35—121 Mbps	46 Mbps	26
167	Dorset	939	35—124 Mbps	45 Mbps	24
168	Moray	932	34—110 Mbps	44 Mbps	10
169	York	1,231	33—109 Mbps	44 Mbps	23
170	Aberdeenshire	1,487	34—127 Mbps	44 Mbps	11
171	Cornwall	2,268	33—121 Mbps	43 Mbps	20
172	Stirling	942	34—92 Mbps	43 Mbps	11
173	Gwynedd	935	32—124 Mbps	43 Mbps	11
174	Torfaen County Borough	934	35—73 Mbps	41 Mbps	10
175	Anglesey	942	32—73 Mbps	41 Mbps	9
176	Dumfries and Galloway	1,687	33—91 Mbps	40 Mbps	13
177	Orkney Islands	934	26—73 Mbps	37 Mbps	8
178	Argyll and Bute	936	25—80 Mbps	36 Mbps	14
179	Highland	931	26—72 Mbps	34 Mbps	17
180	Shetland Islands	928	25—71 Mbps	34 Mbps	6
181	Western Isles	866	23—63 Mbps	31 Mbps	7
182	Luton	971	10—97 Mbps	27 Mbps	11

Frequently Asked Questions about Internet Providers in The United Kingdom

Who is the fastest provider in the United Kingdom?

Hey!Broadband is the fastest provider in the United Kingdom with a top measured speed of 932 Mbps, and a typical real-world speed range of 395—742 Mbps.

Who is the best provider in the United Kingdom?

Virgin Media is the best provider in the United Kingdom, and their users typically see speeds in the range of 121 to 304 Mbps.

What is the average internet speed in the United Kingdom?

The average internet speed in the United Kingdom is 134 Mbps and the fastest download speed we've analysed is 5,146 Mbps.

Who is the the most popular internet provider in the United Kingdom?

The broadband provider with the most speed test results in the United Kingdom is BT.

Last updated: 02 Oct 2024

Internet in the UK - Stats and Figures