One part of Connah’s Quay has fastest broadband in Wales, new study finds

Wales’ digital speed race has a clear winner. Ffordd Kinderley in Connah’s Quay has earned the title of the fastest broadband street, boasting an impressive average download speed of 384.6Mb, a new study by Broadband Genie reveals.

This speed is almost four times the national average for Wales and presents a stark contrast to Cefn Road in Bridgend, which lags as the nation’s slowest street at 1.43Mb.

The Broadband Genie Speed Street Study analysed a quarter of a million speed tests to determine the top-performing and lagging streets in Wales.

The table also showcases other top streets such as Craig-Yr-Eos Avenue in Bridgend and The Oaks in Aberdare, which are not far behind in terms of speed.

However, it’s not all lightning speeds across Wales. Availability of full-fibre broadband sits at 43% nationally but drops to 36% in rural areas.

Cefn Road in Bridgend stands in sharp contrast. With an average download speed of 1.43Mb, residents on this street face long waits for their digital content.

To paint a picture, downloading the popular Marvel film, Avengers ‘Endgame’ would take a staggering 17 hours on Cefn Road. Fortunately, even at these speeds, the fastest available option for them, the ‘Fibre 2’ product from BT, promises a download speed of 74Mb, which would slash that movie download time to a mere 20 minutes.

Despite these disparities, there’s a glimmer of hope. A broadband checker highlights that 9 out of the 10 slowest streets in Wales have the option to upgrade to superfast broadband with speeds of at least 30Mb.

Only Ponthirwaun in Cardigan is currently without this faster fibre broadband option. Furthermore, 7 of these streets have access to ultrafast broadband, which offers speeds of 300Mb and over.

Alex Tofts, broadband expert at Broadband Genie, comments: “No customer should put up with sluggish broadband, especially in a year where we’ve had to endure record high mid-contract price rises.

“The Universal Service Obligation is in place to ensure everyone has access to what the Government deems ‘decent’ broadband via a fixed connection. However, a significant number of people, including residents of Ponthirwaun in Cardigan, are still being left behind and can’t get these bare minimum internet speeds.

“If you can’t get a fibre broadband connection, alternatives are available, such as 4G internet. There are online checkers, so you can assess the availability before taking out a contract.

“Our research highlights that most residents of Britain’s slowest streets could be suffering in silence, as faster broadband is available to their homes.

“If you haven’t reviewed your broadband contract in the last two years, it’s likely you can switch or renew to a faster deal at no extra cost. For the majority of switches, your new providers will do the legwork for you when switching your old connection over and isn’t as daunting as it seems.

“It’s important to note that these are real speed tests. Poor broadband can be caused by various factors; such as the number of devices connected to the network or your router position. If your internet speed is falling short of what your provider promised, and you can’t troubleshoot the issue yourself, contact your provider. There could be an issue with the network, which is sometimes easily fixed.

“The majority of widely available providers are signed up to Ofcom’s Broadband Speeds Code of Practice. If your provider has signed up to this, but it can’t resolve your issue within 30 days, you are entitled to leave your contract free of charge.”