Sheffield broadband: how does city compare as South Yorkshire street is named one of slowest in UK

According to new research by comparison site Uswitch.com, residents of Crossways South in Doncaster can expect broadband speeds under 0.35MBps – meaning it would take more than 48 hours to download a two hour HD film.

In contrast, the fastest street in the UK – Haul Fryn in Birchgrove, Swansea – had average speeds of 882Mbps, meaning that the same two-hour film could be downloaded in just 47 seconds.

Wistaston Road in Crewe was named the slowest street for broadband in the UK alongside Grand Road, Banchory, in Scotland; Dutchells Copse, Horsham, West Sussex and Cornwall Avenue in Manchester.

The UK average broadband speed is 79.1Mbps, according to the figures.

According to Uswitch’s Speed Test, Sheffield City Centre is 12 per cent faster than average with an average download speed of 186.0Mb.

The average upload speed in Sheffield city centre is 252 per cent above average.

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According to Uswitch, the number of broadband users accessing faster speeds is growing, with 43 per cent of users getting superfast speeds of at least 30Mbps, compared to just 22 per cent six years ago.

“Britain’s broadband keeps getting quicker every year, but parts of the country continue to be left behind,” Uswitch broadband expert Ernest Doku said.

“At a time when so many of us rely on our broadband for work, streaming films and TV, and gaming, it’s hard to imagine how frustrating such a slow connection must be.

“It’s great to witness the increased uptake of ultrafast broadband, but we don’t want to see large swathes of the country left behind on shoddy connections that aren’t cutting it for modern life.

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“Of the 10 slowest streets, nine could have access to faster broadband, so we urge residents there — and anyone else unhappy with their broadband speeds — to do a quick search online to see what speeds they could be getting with another provider.”

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “This survey highlights an important point: if people are getting low broadband speeds, it isn’t usually because fast connections are not available.

“We always recommend speaking to your provider to check you’re on the fastest connection and the best deal.”