Springfarm street has Northern Ireland's slowest broadband speed

ORKNEY Street in Antrim is Northern Ireland’s slowest street for broadband, according to research and analysis by Broadband Genie.

Experts were surprised that Northern Ireland’s slowest street is not found in a remote, rural area, but in a major town.

Occupants on Orkney Street averaged broadband speeds of 3.90Mb, which makes it 204 times slower than Moatview Park in Belfast - Northern Ireland’s fastest street.

This means it would take internet users living on Orkney Street almost three and half hours to download a high definition film.

Broadband Genie recorded and analysed 207,711 speed tests. Streets are ordered from slowest to fastest based on a combination of broadband download and upload speed.

After Orkney Street, the second and third-slowest streets are The Croft, Ballymena (4.44Mb) and Ashtree Hill, Craigavon

However, a broadband checker will show nine of Northern Ireland’s slowest streets have access to fibre to the premises (FTTP), also known as full fibre, capable of download speeds of 1Gb+.

8,360 (1% of) premises in Northern Ireland fall short of Ofcom’s Universal Service Obligation (USO) for Broadband. This gives anyone the right to request a broadband service of at least 10Mb. However, the broadband USO has also been criticised for how suitable and fit for purpose it is, as our digital demands grow.

Overall, Northern Ireland streets averaged a broadband speed of 113.84Mb, higher than all the UK (81.97Mb), Scotland (86.59Mb) and Wales (80.82Mb).

Northern Ireland leads the way for full fibre deployment, 94% can access full fibre broadband. However, this drops to 84% in rural areas.

Alex Tofts, strategist at Broadband Genie, comments: “Broadband customers should not have to tolerate slow broadband, especially when the majority of providers continue to annually raise prices for customers.

“However, it’s important to note, these are real speed tests. Poor broadband can be caused by various factors, such as number of devices, number of users and activity, router placement, and Wi-Fi signal strength.

“No bill payer or internet user should suffer in silence. If you find your broadband is consistently underperforming, and you can’t troubleshoot the issue yourself, contact your internet service provider.

“The majority of widely available broadband providers are signed up to Ofcom’s Broadband Speed Code of Practice. If your provider can’t resolve the issue within 30 days, you're free to leave your contract without charge.

“If you haven’t renewed your broadband contract in over two years, it’s likely you can get a faster deal at the same or lower cost than what you’re currently paying.”