Christmas 2020 will be remembered as the year we camped on the sofa to watch festive films in between video-calling loved ones from our homes. However, for some families in Dorset, this year’s frustrations are set to continue with new figures revealing crippling broadband speeds in some neighbourhoods. Across the local authority, broadband speeds range from a superfast 69.2 megabits (Mbps) per second to a snail-paced 0.2 Mbps, according to data from Uswitch.com. It means families using Zoom, Skype or Facebook to speak to relatives and friends could be faced with annoying freezes, cut-outs and sound delays. Meanwhile, those downloading Christmas movie classics could be left waiting up to 120 hours, compared to just one minute 20 seconds in neighbourhoods with the fastest speeds.
They revealed, in Bracknell Forest the postcodes with the slowest speeds were: 1) RG424NZ, in Binfield with Warfield, with an average speed of 2.1Mbps 2) RG128XH, in Great Hollands South, average 2.1Mbps 3) RG129EA, in Wildridings and Central, average 3.1Mbps The postcodes with the fastest speeds were: 1) RG127WR, in Hanworth, average 223.8Mbps 2) RG423XQ, in Warfield Harvest Ride, average 99.1Mbps 3) RG128UL, in Great Hollands North, average 96.9Mbps Ernest Doku, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, said: “The digital divide that runs through Britain has grown dramatically in the last year, with the fastest street’s broadband more than 5,000 times quicker than the slowest’s.”
By Ann Yip ann yip Audience and content editor / Follow me: facebook.com/annyipjournalist
Good broadband has become even more important after a year of lockdowns. Photo: Pixabay Having good broadband at home never been more important after a year spent in lockdowns and working from home. Covid restrictions over the Christmas period also means more people have had to connect with their loved ones virtually. Video calls, virtual quizzes and online gatherings have become the norm. But for some families in Watford, frustrations are set to continue with new figures revealing crippling broadband speeds in some neighbourhoods. Across the local authority, broadband speeds range from a superfast 344.1 megabits (Mbps) per second to a snail-paced 4.2 Mbps, according to data from Uswitch.com.
These are the Calderdale areas with fastest and slowest broadband speeds
It means families using Zoom, Skype or Facebook to speak to relatives and friends could be faced with annoying freezes, cut-outs and sound delays.
Meanwhile, those downloading Christmas movie classics could be left waiting up to 120 hours, compared to just one minute 20 seconds in neighbourhoods with the fastest speeds.
It could add to the Christmas misery for some – something even The Grinch would struggle to serve up.
The average broadband speeds were collected in postcode areas with more than 50 addresses through at least one test in the 12 months up to October this year. In total, nearly 400,000 tests were done.
THERE IS a huge gap between residents with the fastest and slowest broadband speeds in Basingstoke and Deane, new figures have revealed. Broadband tests reveal that some residents in Popley had an average download speed of just 0.6 megabytes per second (Mbps), whilst some people in Brighton Hill had a superfast speed of 398.7Mbps - more than 600 times faster. It means families using Zoom, Skype or Facebook to speak to relatives and friends could be faced with annoying freezes, cut-outs and sound delays. Meanwhile, those downloading Christmas movie classics could be left waiting up to five days in Jersey Close, Popley, compared to just 80 seconds in Sibelius Close, Brighton Hill.