It’s no big secret that UK broadband isn’t the fastest in the world, but new analysis from Compare the Market shows just how disappointingly mid-table Britain is.
The study of 50 countries found Britain 20th for average price (£31.27 per month) and 27th for download speeds (55.14Mbps). In fact, the only place where Britain performed above average was upload speed, where it managed 16th place with 12.72Mbps.
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To contextualise that, the study includes a column for how long it would take to download an hour of Netflix footage: 54 seconds for the UK which – given that’s basically a proxy for download speed – leaves Britain mid-table yet again.
So let’s say that broadband is your main criteria in a place to live. Strange choice, but let’s roll with it: where’s the best for you?
Well speed-wise, it’s no contest. Singapore’s 185.25Mbps is blisteringly fast, and means you can download an hour’s Netflix footage in just 16 seconds. Upload speeds of 192.08Mbps are equally envy-inducing, but the average cost of £39.84 is a touch high.
Albeit not as dear as the second fastest broadband – 153.3Mbps in Iceland – where you’ll be paying an average of £60.56 for the privilege.
So where should you go if price is the main concern? Israel. An average payment of £10.29 per month will get you a decent 69.24Mbps download speed and 15.44Mbps upload.
For my money the sweet spot between price and performance comes in Hungary though: £14.51 per month will get download speeds of 108.78Mbps, meaning an hour of Netflix in 28 seconds. I think I’d wait an extra 12 seconds to save £25.33 every month.
Still, Singapore’s broadband costs are peanuts compared to what you pay in the United Arab Emirates, where an average monthly payment of £124.11 only gets you 38.16Mbps speeds and 13.56Mbps uploads. And Brunei is even worse value, only giving you 15.15Mbps for your £97.40 per month. That means an hour of Netflix will take three minutes and 18 seconds to download.
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If that sounds unimaginable, be glad you weren’t around in the golden age of dial-up. I remember spending well over an hour waiting to download a 15Mb PC game demo, not including all the restarts needed thanks to disconnects. You’ve never had it so good – even in Brunei.
How’s your broadband speed? Are you getting value for money? Let us know on Twitter: @TrustedReviews.