Early birds surf the fastest – speediest broadband is at 4am
Broadband speeds fastest at 4am but drop by over a quarter (28%) by the evening
Slowest surfing takes place at 9pm – the time most people want to go online
Birmingham and Middlesbrough enjoy the fastest evening surfing, while Aberdeen and Swansea experience the slowest
Dudley sees the biggest drop off between peak and off-peak hours, with speeds on average 60% slower
Stoke-on-Trent residents see the most consistent broadband speeds throughout the day.
The early bird really does catch the worm when it comes to broadband, according to new research by independent price comparison and switching service, Uswitch.com. Broadband speeds in urban areas are at their fastest at 4am, but drop by over a quarter (28%) by evening time, when most people want to go online.
The study, based on more than 2.3 million consumer speed tests over the past six months, reveals that it is the nation’s insomniacs and early risers that are benefiting the most from the maximum headline speeds offered by providers. With average download speeds falling by as much as 60% during peak times in some parts of the UK, the busy evening hours are actually the slowest time of the day to go online.
The fastest time to surf the internet in the UK’s biggest towns and cities is at 4am, when the average download speed is 14.83Mbps. The slowest time to surf is 9pm, when average speeds fall 28% to 10.72Mbps.
Residents of Birmingham and Middlesbrough enjoy the fastest evening broadband speeds, experiencing 12.88Mbps and 12.87Mbps at 9pm respectively. But spare a thought for those broadband users in Aberdeen and Swansea. They might be poles apart in terms of UK geography, but they have one thing in common: Aberdeen residents have to make do with speeds of just 6.08Mbps at 9pm, and those in Swansea, speeds of 6.99Mbps – half the speed of Birmingham and Middlesbrough. Meanwhile, broadband users in Stoke-On-Trent experience the most consistent broadband throughout the day, with speeds between 4am and 9pm only dropping by 0.7%.
The difference in broadband speeds during peak and off-peak times is most significant in heavily built up towns and cities, due to a greater demand on services. For example, at 4am in Dudley, average broadband speeds are a super-fast 31.81Mbps. But at 9pm, they drop by 60% to 12.62Mbps.
Just eight miles away, Walsall residents are also suffering from unpredictable speeds. The drop off between 4am and 9pm is a staggering 51%. Neighbouring Bolton and Huddersfield are also seeing some of the biggest variations in broadband speeds between off-peak and peak times – of 57% and 51% respectively.
The following table shows the top 20 UK towns and cities with the biggest drop offs in broadband speeds, comparing average speeds at 4am to speeds at 9pm:
| |
UK Town/City
|
Average broadband speed at 4am (Mbps)
|
Average broadband speed at 9pm (Mbps)
|
% drop off in speed – 4am vs 9pm
| |
1
|
Dudley
|
31.81
|
12.62
|
60%
| |
2
|
Bolton
|
27.76
|
11.91
|
57%
| |
3
|
Walsall
|
22.81
|
11.08
|
51.4%
| |
4
|
Huddersfield
|
21.11
|
10.28
|
51.3%
| |
5
|
Dundee
|
18.99
|
10.02
|
47%
| |
6
|
Leicester
|
20.44
|
11.07
|
46%
| |
7
|
Edinburgh
|
16.38
|
9.40
|
42.6%
| |
8
|
Plymouth
|
17.12
|
9.88
|
42.3%
| |
9
|
Reading
|
19.09
|
11.50
|
40%
| |
10
|
Bristol
|
18.35
|
11.23
|
39%
| |
11
|
Milton Keynes
|
18.01
|
11.33
|
37%
| |
12
|
Ipswich
|
13.78
|
8.84
|
35.9%
| |
13
|
Bournemouth
|
18.41
|
11.85
|
35.6%
| |
14
|
Derby
|
15.21
|
9.79
|
35.6%
| |
15
|
Norwich
|
12.73
|
8.24
|
35%
| |
16
|
Newcastle
|
15.01
|
10.14
|
33%
| |
17
|
Bradford
|
17.43
|
12.01
|
31%
| |
18
|
Aberdeen
|
8.58
|
6.08
|
29.1%
| |
19
|
Blackpool
|
13.17
|
9.35
|
29%
| |
20
|
Leeds
|
15.76
|
11.49
|
27%
|
Source: Uswitch.com
Julia Stent, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, says: “This research shows the incredible strain that is placed on broadband when everyone logs on at the same time, particularly in densely populated areas. And the big rise in streaming and downloading – be that films for our tablets, or games for our smartphones – means that striving to deliver consistent speeds will be a long, hard slog for broadband providers.
“It certainly explains why some people may never actually feel like their connection is as fast as the one promised by providers when they signed. The obvious solution of setting your alarm at 4am to use the internet is far from practical. Instead, run an online speed test at home to check that you are getting the best possible service available in your area. If you think you could do better, consider shopping around for a new deal.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Katherine Moss
Phone: 020 3021 5893
Email: katherine.moss@uswitch.com
Twitter: @uswitchPR
Notes to editors
More than 2.3million speed tests were conducted through the Uswitch.com website between 21st July 2012 and 20th January 2013. Only the UK's 50 most densely populated cities were included in the study. Each IP address could only register one test. Average broadband download speeds are in Mbps. Data collected includes speeds from both ADSL and fibre optic connections. Tests were conducted on www.uswitch.com/broadband/speedtest
Broadband speeds for Britain’s 50 most densely populated towns and cities were fastest at 4am, with average speeds of 14.83Mbps and slowest at 9pm, when average speeds are 10.72Mbps. This is a 28% difference.
Birmingham and Middlesbrough’s average speeds at the peak hour of 9pm are 12.88Mbps and 12.87Mbps respectively. Aberdeen and Swansea’s are 6.08Mpbs and 6.99Mbps respectively.
Dudley’s average speeds at 4am are 31.81Mbps and at 9pm 12.62Mbps. The drop off is therefore 60.3%.
Stoke-On-Trent’s average download speeds only fluctuate by just 0.7% when comparing speeds taken at 4am and 9pm.
The average daily speed across all locations is 12.74Mbps, but at 9pm the average speed across all locations is 10.71Mbps – a drop off of 16%.
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