Broadband Speed

​Whether I’m catching up on BBC iPlayer, my husband watching Netflix or my children watching cartoons on YouTube - I know the pain when it’s constantly buffering. We live in the fifth largest economy in the world, our social and works lives work so smoothly because of the devices and gadgets that we use. 

But as we get more technologically advanced, so does the need for better internet.

This week, new data was published on broadband coverage across the UK. The data showed that the average download speed across Tooting is below the UK average. Out of 650 areas in the UK, we sit well below even the average - when we should be leading the way.

The new data also showed the quality of broadband available varies dramatically between areas. The areas most affected by slow broadband speeds are Earlsfield, Furzedown and Wandsworth Common. A number of Isis Street residents in Earlsfield have written to me expressing their frustrations and I took action, finally getting BT to agree to giving them fibre broadband.

​If you take the average broadband speed across the UK (11.2 Mb/s), Earlsfield and Furzedown are a third slower, much lower than countries including Rwanda and Saudi Arabia. As these speeds are averages, it is safe to assume that residents are at times experiencing even lower broadband speed. 

Many home offices as well as modern home entertainment options are dependent on a fast and reliable internet; a connection of 40Mb/s or more is recommended if you watch Netflix, stream videos on YouTube or Facebook and have multiple devices and users in your home. If you have been affected by slow broadband speeds in Tooting, please contact me at [email protected].