Lostwithiel Recorded as UK’s Slowest Broadband Town, Says Study

Lostwithiel named Britain’s slowest broadband spot as experts urge residents to check their connection

A new nationwide study by Broadband Genie has revealed that Lostwithiel in Cornwall has the slowest broadband speed in the entire UK.

After analysing over 348,000 home speed tests across 1,302 locations, Lostwithiel came bottom of the rankings with an average broadband speed of just 2Mbps. That’s not even enough to stream Netflix in its lowest quality setting.

Cornwall ranks low for speeds overall

Cornwall didn’t fare much better in the wider regional rankings either. The county came in 86th out of 131 UK regions, placing it as the second worst in the South West. Average speeds across Cornwall were recorded at 75Mbps, but the gap between providers is significant.

According to the findings, 23% of users in Cornwall are getting speeds below 10Mbps, which falls short of the government’s minimum acceptable speed. Even more concerning, 11% of homes fall below 3Mbps.

Despite these low figures, the infrastructure is already in place for most homes to do better. 97% of properties in Cornwall can access superfast broadband (30Mbps+), and 66% can get full fibre (1Gbps+).

The best and worst broadband providers in Cornwall

When it comes to providers, Wildanet came out on top with average speeds of 157Mbps, thanks to its independent full fibre network. BT followed with 112Mbps, while Virgin Media and Sky Broadband recorded 104Mbps and 69Mbps respectively.

At the bottom of the list, EE users in Cornwall saw average speeds of just 17Mbps, which is below the most basic entry-level fibre broadband packages. Plusnet came in just above that with 23Mbps.

Here’s how the providers ranked by average speed:

Nationwide: Lostwithiel leads the bottom 10

Lostwithiel isn’t alone in struggling with internet speeds. Other slowest locations in the UK included Urmston (Greater Manchester) and the Isle of Islay (Argyll and Bute), but Cornwall’s Lostwithiel was the worst of all.

Here’s the list of the UK’s 10 slowest towns for broadband:

What can you do if your internet is slow?

Broadband Genie is urging people to check their broadband speed and compare it to what they’re paying for. A spokesperson said:

“Broadband customers shouldn’t have to put up with a sub-par service, especially when broadband providers continue to raise prices for bill payers.

Our analysis indicates many customers could be unnecessarily suffering with sluggish broadband. If you haven’t reviewed your broadband deal in over two years, it’s likely you can upgrade to something faster at no extra cost, or in some cases, save money.”

They added that switching is easier than ever, and in many cases the new provider will cancel your old contract for you.

If fibre broadband isn’t available in your area, mobile broadband (4G/5G routers) or even satellite broadband may be worth considering. Although, satellite comes with higher setup costs.

Quick tips to improve your internet speed

If you’re stuck with a slow connection, here are a few fixes you can try:

• Place your router in the centre of your home, away from thick walls and microwaves.

• Close background apps and devices using your connection.

• Update your software and make sure your device is up to date.

• Change your Wi-Fi password to stop freeloaders from stealing your signal.

• Contact your provider to report the issue or check for outages.

Some providers have signed up to Ofcom’s broadband speed code of practice, meaning if your connection is consistently underperforming, you may be able to cancel your contract free of charge. These providers include:

• BT

• EE

• NOW Broadband

• Plusnet

• Sky

• TalkTalk

• Utility Warehouse

• Virgin Media

• Zen Internet

About the research

The data was gathered over a 12-month period using 348,000 speed tests conducted via Broadband Genie and partners like BroadbandUK. Speeds were weighted 80/20 between download and upload to give a final ranking.

To find out more or test your own broadband speed, visit Broadband Genie’s website.