- Canterbury has won the wooden spoon for the UK’s slowest city for broadband for the second consecutive year in Broadband Genie’s Slickest Cities index.
- Lichfield has the crown of UK’s slickest city, with a weighted broadband speed of 359Mb
- London is placed a mediocre 38th, with residents receiving broadband speeds of 57Mb
- Comprehensive study, over 149,000 home speed tests analysed across 71 cities
- To fight back against dawdling broadband, Broadband Genie urges households to check their internet and complain if it falls short of the guaranteed speeds for their address
Understanding Broadband Across The UK
Canterbury has been named the UK’s slowest city for the second consecutive year, in the annual ‘Slickest Cities’ research and analysis by Broadband Genie.
The historic city, clocked in with broadband speeds of 22Mb, which is around the bare minimum offered by the most basic superfast packages. Despite being one of the most expensive UK cities to live in, Canterbury currently lacks the otherwise widely available Virgin Media and almost a third (30%) of premises don’t have access to full fibre broadband.
After a year of dwindling broadband speeds, the two slowest cities are unchanged from 2023. The Cathedral City of Ripon, in North Yorkshire, is the UK’s second-slowest city, also failing to give broadband speeds of the most basic fibre package (broadband speeds of 28Mb). However, there is hope for the folks of Ripon; CityFibre is connecting thousands of premises to full fibre broadband and altnet, Zzoomm is planning to build in the area.
Top 5 Slowest Cities In The UK For Broadband Speed
| Rank | City | Area | Broadband speed (Mb) |
| 1 | Canterbury | Kent | 22 |
| 2 | Ripon | North Yorkshire | 28 |
| 3 | Perth | Perthshire (Scotland) | 37 |
| 4 | Norwich | Norfolk | 38 |
| 5 | Winchester | Hampshire | 40 |
Do you live in a broadband dead spot? Discover the full results here
The results are based on over 149,000 real user speed tests, using a mix of download and upload speeds to reflect what most customers experience daily. Tests are from fixed and mobile connections and were run through Broadband Genie and other partners using the BroadbandUK speed test solution.
Full fibre broadband is available to 68% of the UK, and the Government plans to reach 85% by 2025. However, barriers to uptake, such as cost, and confusing language in advertising and on websites (which trick people into thinking they are getting fibre-optic) slow the adoption rate.
At the speedy end of the spectrum, Lichfield in the heart of Staffordshire topped the charts with a weighted broadband speed of 359Mb, over 16 times faster than broadband users are experiencing in Canterbury. To put that into perspective, it would take users in Canterbury almost one hour to download the sci-fi adventure hit ‘Dune: Part Two’, while over in Lichfield it would take a rapid 3 and a half minutes.
Top 5 Slickest Cities For Broadband Speed
| Rank | City | Area | Broadband speed (Mb) |
| 1 | Lichfield | Staffordshire | 359 |
| 2 | Newry | County Armagh and County Down (Northern Ireland) | 138 |
| 3 | Ely | Cambridgeshire | 118 |
| 4 | Dundee | Angus | 100 |
| 5 | Lisburn | County Antrim | 99 |
When it comes to UK capitals, Edinburgh (12th) has the broadband bragging rights. Previously held by Belfast, which drops to (15th), the Scottish capital recorded weighted broadband speeds of 78Mb — fractionally ahead of the Northern Irish city (76Mb), 26% faster than London (57Mb) and 36% more than Cardiff (50Mb).
Expert Insights
Alex Tofts, Strategist at Broadband Genie, comments: “No broadband customer should accept a sub-par service, least of all in a year when customers are putting up with hefty price rises.
“Most of Britain’s biggest providers sign up to Ofcom’s Broadband Speeds Code of Practice. This means they have to be clear about the speeds you should expect at your address, including a guaranteed minimum they must keep above.
“Speed tests are a useful tool for regularly monitoring the performance you are receiving. If they are falling short of what has been promised, contact your provider and raise the issue.
“It’s worth bearing in mind that poor broadband speeds can also be influenced by factors outside your provider’s control, so make sure you check these first. Poor home wiring or a poorly positioned or a faulty router could be dragging your Wi-Fi down.
“Residents in the slowest towns and cities may also be suffering unnecessarily, with faster speeds available in their area if they switch. If you are out of contract and looking to upgrade your broadband, do a quick comparison online to see the best deals on offer. You may even end up paying less for a better and faster service.”
