Help us fix bad broadband
Broadband is an essential part of modern life.
Yet the service many of us get simply isn’t good enough.
Use our speed checker to find out the speed you’re getting,
and help us highlight areas with connection issues across the UK.
Fast and reliable broadband is crucial in this digital age. Yet, in urban and rural communities alike, people are let down by poor connections, dropouts and slow speeds. Take our broadband speed test to help us build a picture of speeds across the UK and together we can fix bad broadband.
There’s nothing more annoying than your favourite TV show constantly buffering thanks to a slow connection, or your internet cutting out while you’re desperately trying to finish your online shopping.
Six in ten people have suffered problems with their home internet in the past year, and the majority are frustrated as a result. Over a third of them were stopped from carrying out their online activities, and some even said it cost them money!
Providers draw us in with all-singing, all-dancing connections, yet many people don’t get the speeds they need to complete even the simplest of tasks. And customer service from the bigger providers is consistently rated poor. That’s why we need you.
Use our free speed checker tool to help us build a picture of the speeds and problems people actually face across the country. We’ll also give you your broadband vital statistics, a comparison with others in your area, and help you complain if you’re not happy. Together we can fix bad broadband and get everyone better connected.
Four steps to improve bad broadband
1. Check your home set up
Use our broadband speed checker to see whether you’re getting a slow service. See what you can do to boost your broadband speed.
2. Check your contract and talk to your broadband provider
See what your broadband provider can do to resolve your issue. Ask your provider to check whether your access line speed is below your minimum guaranteed speed.
3. Make a formal complaint
If you don’t get a satisfactory solution from contacting your broadband provider, it’s time to make a formal broadband complaint.
4. Consider switching broadband providers
If your broadband provider cannot address your concerns it might be time to consider switching broadband providers.
Broadband performance by local authority
A study by Which? has revealed the best and worst broadband speeds in the country.
We found the worst performing areas, broken down here by local authority, were all located in Scotland; Orkney Islands, Shetlands and Highland.
The bottom five is completed by Ryedale in Yorkshire and Purbeck in Dorset.
Tamworth in the West Midlands enjoys the fastest broadband followed by Reading, Adur in West Sussex, Enfield and Dundee City.
You can find out more about our study by visiting our Consumer Insight Broadband Speeds page.
Broadband giants failing customers
20th April 2017
Our latest broadband customer satisfaction survey has found the UK’s largest providers are still failing on basic customer service, speed and reliability.Read More
Compensation when broadband goes wrong
24th March 2017
Ofcom is proposing to require providers to pay automatic compensation to customers who suffer from poor service. Customers would be entitled to automatic compensation whenever: their landline or broad...Read More
Advertising watchdog revamps advertising rules
16th November 2016
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) and Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) have plan to make UK broadband companies change the way they advertise their internet speeds. Currently broadband pro...Read More
Dr David Croot says:
We live in Wiltshire, and according to the data, should have superfast broadband. Unfortunately Openreach and Wiltshire Council mis-measured the distance from the exchange to our hamlet of 30 houses and we have appallingly slow and unreliable broadband (2 Mbps maximum). For the past 6 weeks our internet has been non-existent. After innumerable phone calls to BT and tests from their end which apparently showed we have 2.4 Mbps we were sent an engineer to test from our end. He wrote a report to the effect that we have NO broadband. A second engineer arrived from Openreach some weeks later who again tested the line from our end, went to the cabinet and the exchange and confirmed that we have no connection and that it is a provider problem (BT). Report submitted, but no action taken. Our latest attempts to get them to address the problem have resulted in no further action apart from the offer of a token rebate of 35pounds. We have tried to get released from our contract on the grounds that they are not providing the minimum service level, but have been told that we have to pay a release fee of 85 pounds. We have now resorted to satellite broadband, which is slow and costly (like the old dial-up). We are told we may get fibre in 2018…….
Conclusions:
1. Do not believe the simplistic data that is bandied about as it hides the reality and
2. will someone please tell BT customer services to at least believe their own engineers reports and take ACTION!
John Ward says:
I think house-builders and estate agents should carry out a reliable and independent broadband speed test on properties being sold and include it in their particulars of sale.
Ken Moore says:
my son lives in a new build in bishopstoke Hampshire and your speed test shows download speed of less than 1MB and upload crashes or measures 0MB using Sky who advertise as UP TO 38mb download and 1oMB upload . His internet is unusable.
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