February 2015 saw average download speeds recorded by users of our Broadband Speed Test drop by 0.48Mb in comparison to the results from January, coming in at 21.43Mb. Average upload speeds saw a 0.23Mb increase to 4.32Mb.
Virgin Media's average download speeds dropped again by 0.63Mb to 40.98Mb, with upload speeds remaining stable at 5.5Mb. BT Broadband remain second place with average download speeds dropping by 0.53Mb to 19.87Mb, though upload speeds increased by 0.29Mb to 5.97Mb. Plusnet hold third place, remaining stable at 15.74Mb for average download speeds with a 0.38Mb increase to 4.78Mb for average upload speeds. TalkTalk are also stable in fourth place, with download speeds at 13.22Mb and upload speeds at 1.75Mb. Finally, Sky are in fifth place with a strong 1.34Mb increase to download speeds, putting them at 13.37Mb, with upload speeds increased by 0.49Mb to 3.44Mb.
January 2015 saw average download speeds recorded by users of our Broadband Speed Test drop by 0.75Mb in comparison to the results from December, coming in at 21.91Mb. Average upload speeds remained stable at 4.09Mb.
Virgin Media's average download speeds have fallen by 1.95Mb over last month to 41.61Mb, with upload speeds remaining stable at 5.45Mb. BT Broadband hold second place with average download and upload speeds remaining stable at 20.35Mb and 5.68Mb respectively. Plusnet are in third place, remaining stable after the significant drop in speeds last month at 14.58Mb for average download speeds and 4.41Mb for average upload speeds. TalkTalk remain in fourth place, with speeds increasing by 0.64Mb to 13.22Mb and upload speeds remaining stable at 1.88Mb. Finally, Sky are in fifth place with 12.03Mb download speeds, comparable to their speeds from last month.
December 2014 saw average download speeds recorded by users of our Broadband Speed Test rise by 0.43Mb in comparison to the results from November, coming in at 22.65Mb. Average upload speeds remained stable at 4.01Mb.
Virgin Media's average download speeds have increased by 1.42Mb over last month to 43.56Mb, with upload speeds rising a little to 5.42Mb. BT Broadband remain in second place with average download speeds of 20.6Mb (increasing by 0.37Mb over last month) and upload speeds of 5.82Mb. Plusnet remain in third place, but with a significant 3.93Mb drop to 14.53Mb for average download speeds, and a 1.56Mb decrease to 4.04Mb for average upload speeds. TalkTalk move up to fourth place, with speeds increasing by 0.33Mb to 12.57Mb and upload speeds remaining stable at 1.71Mb. Sky drop down to fifth place with 12.15Mb download speeds, a small 0.36Mb decrease in speed since last month.
November 2014 saw average download speeds recorded by users of our Broadband Speed Test drop 0.62Mb in comparison to the results from October, coming in at 22.23Mb. Average upload speeds remained stable at 3.94Mb.
Virgin Media's average download speeds have decreased by 2.65Mb over last month to 42.14Mb, with upload speeds dropping a little to 5.32Mb. BT Broadband remain in second place with download speeds averaging at 20.23Mb (a drop of 0.69Mb over last month) and upload speeds of 5.23Mb. Plusnet holds third place with a minor 0.23Mb decrease to 18.46b for average download speeds, but a 0.72Mb increase to 5.6Mb for average upload speeds. Sky came in fourth place with 12.5Mb download speeds, a small decrease in speed since last month. Meanwhile, TalkTalk remain in fifth place, but are the only ISP in the top five to see an increase in download speeds, going up by 1.38Mb to 12.24Mb with upload speeds remaining stable at 1.52Mb.
Ofcom is the UK communications regulator. We've been Ofcom accredited since April 2010, and undergo strict, independent audits every 12 to 18 months, plus more frequent spot checks to ensure our broadband checker meets Ofcom's requirements to provide accurate, up-to-date, accessible and comprehensive information about the broadband deals that we list. This means you can be confident that our search results will provide you with accurate comparison costs and let you know what's included in each package, so you don't need to worry about visiting each broadband provider individually to find the best deals for you.
As well as our checker, the accreditation covers our deal comparison tables and our individual provider pages, which include detailed buyers guides with both pros and cons for choosing that supplier's services. Ofcom have also assessed our accessibility, ensured we can be contacted by both telephone and email, and that we provide a speed test and up-to-date consumer information relating to broadband.
Between the accuracy of our checker results and the detailed information we provide about providers and the deals on offer, we're confident you can find a broadband package that fits your needs using our services.
With improvements in technology and speed of broadband, it's becoming increasingly common for people to work from home rather than travel to an office. Whether you’re an employee connecting to your employer from home, or self-employed and running a business from your home office, it's important to be able to rely on a robust, stable broadband connection.
While you may find your home broadband connection is adequate for your work from home needs, you might be surprised to find that a business broadband package can offer significant additional benefits and be a lot more affordable than you'd think. We've created a guide to guide to Home Office Broadband explaining all the features and advantages of using business broadband when you work from home.
TalkTalk Business offers a range of products to suit your business needs, all including unlimited usage. Their Simply product is ideal for home office workers or small premises while their Complete package adds free premise moves, business call features and up to 4 static IP addresses. Up to 76Mb fibre options provided where available.
Right now you can save up to £754* compared to BT Business Broadband with TalkTalk Business Fibre!
Simply Broadband - £4 per month, up to 17Mb download and up to 1Mb upload, 1 static IP
Simply Fibre - £19 per month, up to 76Mb download and up to 20Mb upload, 1 static IP
Complete Broadband - £10.50 per month, up to 17Mb download and up to 1Mb upload, up to 4 static IPs, free business call features
Complete Fibre - £25.50 per month, up to 76Mb download and up to 20Mb upload, up to 4 static IPs, free business call features
All prices exc VAT. Monthly line rental of £14.50 required on all packages. *See TalkTalk Business site for more details of BT Business Broadband comparison claims.
Moving home is daunting enough with arranging moving dates, packing, getting your belongings safely to a new location, and hoping that all the financial gubbins goes through smoothly so you can actually get into your new house as planned. The hassle of what to do about your broadband on top of all that is a stress that none of us really want to deal with. Making the decision of what to do then phoning up customer services, explaining the situation, relaying all the necessary information over the phone, arranging all the dates... it's all a recipe for one giant headache.
To help make the process a little easier for you, we've revamped our guide to moving your broadband when moving house to help you make the best decision for broadband at your new home and make it as easy as possible to move your broadband to your new home, whether you're signing up with a new provider or taking advantage of your existing provider's Home Move service.
We've gone into detail about the type of process, problems, gotchas and unexpected delays or charges you might experience during a broadband home move, and we've also provided handy bulletpoint summary sections to help when you're in a rush.
We've even gathered together details of the procedure for moving home for each of the home broadband providers we list, so you can quickly find exactly where on your provider's website you need to look or which phone number you need to call to set your broadband home move in action.
As the top broadband speeds increase, new marketing terms like ultrafast, hyperfast and gigabit broadband are becoming commonplace. We understand how confusing terms like this can be, especially when most broadband buzzwords all seem to be another way of saying 'very fast', so we've produced a new guide to ultrafast and hyperfast broadband that should help to answer all your questions.
More people than ever can enjoy ultrafast broadband speeds as Virgin Media's ultrafast 120Mb broadband increases in speed to up to 152Mb, double that of most fibre to the cabinet services. Virgin Media's mid-range formerly up to 60Mb service is now also increased to 100Mb, making it the most affordable ultrafast broadband on the market. Ultrafast deals start from £12.50 per month for the first 6 months.
Meanwhile hyperfast broadband provider Hyperoptic has started to install their gigabit fibre to the building services outside of London, with select apartment buildings now activated in Bristol, Cardiff and Reading. These join over 250 postcode areas already hooked up in London, with more added every day. Hyperoptic offer the UK's fastest broadband at up to 1Gb (or 1000Mb) making this a truly hyperfast service, what's more their connections are symmetric offering the same speed regardless of whether you're downloading or uploading. You can sign up for a gigabit service for only £25 per month for the first 6 months.
If you're not sure whether Virgin Media or Hyperoptic's services are available in your area, our broadband checker will tell you if either are serving your postcode and will allow you to compare their prices and features with other broadband suppliers.
All prices quoted are introductory offers that require montlhy line rental. Hyperoptic charge £12.50 for line rental and Virgin Media £15.99. All services mentioned are also available without any telephone line installed at your home. Hyperoptic charges £40 for setup, or more if your home doesn't have a faceplate preinstalled. Virgin Media is currently offering free installation as a limited offer.
March 2014 saw the national average download speeds recorded by users of our Broadband Speed Test surpass 20Mb for the first time, with most providers seeing a healthy speed increase and a 3.53Mb rise overall, bringing the UK average speed to 20.63Mb. Average upload speeds also saw an increase, rising by 0.39Mb to 3.45Mb overall.
Virgin Media's average download speeds increased significantly over the previous month, rising by 4.94Mb, and they retain first place at the top of the speed table at 38.19Mb. Upload speeds were also up by 0.44Mb averaging at 4.14Mb.
Early last month Virgin launched their boost from up to 120Mb to 152Mb, from up to 60Mb to 100Mb and from up to 30Mb to 50Mb, which has undoubtedly contributed to their average download speed increases. While the boost was initially for new customers only, these average speed increases are set to continue as Virgin roll out the higher speeds to existing customers over the next year, with customers in several areas already enjoying the boost.
BT Broadband came in second place on the speed table, with a download speed increase of 2.13Mb taking them to an average speed of 22.33Mb. BT also saw an upload speed increase of 0.56Mbps, with uploads now averaging higher than Virgin at 5.47Mb, in part thanks to the higher upload speed of BT Infinity 2 compared to Virgin's maximum.
EE have taken third place, overtaking both Plusnet and Sky with average download speeds of 14.21Mb (an impressive 4.55Mb increase over last month).
EE have started traffic shaping to prioritise web and streaming traffic, allowing them to last month announce a new headline speed of up to 17Mb. At least 10% of their customers have to be able to achieve this speed in order for them to advertise it, making them faster than any other standard UK phoneline broadband supplier! We're currently running an exclusive £70 Amazon gift voucher offer with EE that stacks with their reduced price offers. It's a limited offer for this week only, so hurry to take advantage of it!
While Plusnet have dropped into fourth place, their average download speeds have actually improved by 1.47Mb, taking them to 14.13Mb. Similarly, Sky have dropped to fifth place, but have a 0.86Mbps increase in download speeds, averaging at 11.2Mb. As spring arrives with sunnier weekends and brighter evenings, we'll likely see further small increases across all providers as peak time congestion from video services reduces due to more people en. The availability of higher speed fibre services also continues to roll out to more exchanges.
December 2012 saw average download speeds recorded by users of our Broadband Speed Test rise by more than 2Mb in comparison to the results from November, coming in at 19.37Mb. Average upload speeds saw a smaller increase, coming in at 2.33Mb.
Virgin Media's average download speed has increased by almost 5Mb compared to last month, now coming in at 37.22Mb with upload speeds remaining stable at 2.88Mb. Despite seeing a small download speed increase, BT Broadband dropped to 4th place with download speeds averaging at 15.76Mb and upload speeds of 3.38Mb. Instead Eclipse took 2nd place with 16.63Mb average download speed and 3.11Mb average upload speed.
Plusnet came in at 3rd place with an impressive 3.9Mb increase to 11.94Mb average download speed. Plusnet also achieved the fastest average upload speed of any provider, coming in at 3.62Mb. These increases are likely due to a greater number of customers switching over to Plusnet Fibre, combined with improvements in Plusnet's traffic management policies launched in December.
Please note, Orange are now trading as EE, and speed test results only include numbers from their fixed line broadband packages, and not their 4G mobile broadband packages.
