Broadband speeds jump by 20% as nine in 10 homes take superfast packages

As the availability of future-proof, full-fibre technology improves, and more people upgrade their connections, average home broadband speeds are increasing.

Ofcom’s Home Broadband Performance report, published today, reveals that the median average speed of a home broadband connection has reached 59.4 Mbit/s. That’s an 18% increase from 50.4 Mbit/s the previous year, and a 60% increase on the average speed recorded in 2018 (37 Mbit/s).

Also, 91% of homes from our study now take a superfast package (advertised download speed of at least 30 Mbit/s), up from 85% 12 months before.

Previous Ofcom research has shown that over seven million broadband households are out of contract and paying more than they need to. Prices tend to go up if customers do nothing when their initial contract period ends. But there are lots of heavily discounted deals on offer when signing up to a new contract.

That means some people could save money and upgrade to a faster package at the same time.

For those on the lowest incomes, special discounted packages known as ‘social tariffs’ are available for around £10-20. These also offer superfast connections, meaning eligible households don’t need to compromise on speeds while making savings of £150 a year.