Want faster Netflix? Leave Britain for Singapore or Iceland
It’s no big secret that UK broadband isn’t the fastest in the world, but new analysis from Compare the Market shows just how disappointingly mid-table Britain is.
The study of 50 countries found Britain 20th for average price (£31.27 per month) and 27th for download speeds (55.14Mbps). In fact, the only place where Britain performed above average was upload speed, where it managed 16th place with 12.72Mbps.
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To contextualise that, the study includes a column for how long it would take to download an hour of Netflix footage: 54 seconds for the UK which – given that’s basically a proxy for download speed – leaves Britain mid-table yet again.
So let’s say that broadband is your main criteria in a place to live. Strange choice, but let’s roll with it: where’s the best for you?
Well speed-wise, it’s no contest. Singapore’s 185.25Mbps is blisteringly fast, and means you can download an hour’s Netflix footage in just 16 seconds. Upload speeds of 192.08Mbps are equally envy-inducing, but the average cost of £39.84 is a touch high.
Albeit not as dear as the second fastest broadband – 153.3Mbps in Iceland – where you’ll be paying an average of £60.56 for the privilege.
So where should you go if price is the main concern? Israel. An average payment of £10.29 per month will get you a decent 69.24Mbps download speed and 15.44Mbps upload.
For my money the sweet spot between price and performance comes in Hungary though: £14.51 per month will get download speeds of 108.78Mbps, meaning an hour of Netflix in 28 seconds. I think I’d wait an extra 12 seconds to save £25.33 every month.
Still, Singapore’s broadband costs are peanuts compared to what you pay in the United Arab Emirates, where an average monthly payment of £124.11 only gets you 38.16Mbps speeds and 13.56Mbps uploads. And Brunei is even worse value, only giving you 15.15Mbps for your £97.40 per month. That means an hour of Netflix will take three minutes and 18 seconds to download.
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If that sounds unimaginable, be glad you weren’t around in the golden age of dial-up. I remember spending well over an hour waiting to download a 15Mb PC game demo, not including all the restarts needed thanks to disconnects. You’ve never had it so good – even in Brunei.
How’s your broadband speed? Are you getting value for money? Let us know on Twitter: @TrustedReviews.