A new global list has been published, which sees London trailing behind more than 70 other major cities when it comes to broadband speed.
The capital’s 79.13 Mb speed saw it placed in 76th, far behind European rivals like Paris and Madrid, and also cities including Bucharest and Bogota. Meanwhile, the UK came 54th in the world rankings below most of the EU, with its 72.24 Mb speed also lagging behind the global average of 76.34 Mb.
Here are some comments from broadband expert Alex Tofts, from Broadband Genie:
Alex Tofts, broadband expert at Broadband Genie, comments: “It’s official, London is lagging, with the capital still miles behind its world city rivals when it comes to internet speeds.
“In 2015, a cross-party group of London’s MPs said it was ‘unacceptable’ for the city to be trailing European rivals on broadband, yet eight years on the gap seems to be as big as ever. Paris enjoys average download speeds of 164.61 Mb — more than twice as quick as the Big Smoke, while Bucharest and Bogota are also putting us to shame.
“If you wanted to download the new Hogwarts Legacy game in London it would take you nearly two-and-a-half hours, while in Beijing it would take around 40 minutes.
“Meanwhile Manchester, the only other UK city on the list, is 82nd just behind the Bulgarian capital Sofia, with a rate of 74.10 Mb, below the global average of 76.34 Mb.
“As a whole, the UK is ranked 54th in the world. Its 72.24 Mb speed means it’s sandwiched between Barbados and Peru, behind 16 of the 27 EU countries and two places down in January 2022.
“Compared with the likes of China, the US and Denmark, which lead the way on global download speeds, the UK is currently an also-ran and it shows how desperately upgrades are needed to our broadband infrastructure.
“To make us more competitive and help our businesses, the Government must make good on its Project Gigabit pledges to roll out 1,000 Mb download speeds. For millions across the country, it can’t come soon enough.”
