You are here: Home - Household Bills - News -

Leicester Uni beats Oxbridge…when it comes to broadband speed

0
Written by: Paloma Kubiak
16/08/2016
Leicester University has come top of the leader board of broadband speeds, beating high-flying Oxford and Cambridge, research reveals.

The northern England university averaged a broadband speed of 39.87Mbps, while Oxbridge recorded an average of just over 30Mbps.

Queens in Belfast came in second place with an average download speed of 36.71Mbps, while third place went to Nottingham University with 36.18Mbps.

Aberdeen – 36th in the country as a place of learning – came bottom of the broadband league with speeds of just 15.27Mbps. A gadget-heavy household of four students in Aberdeen would see speeds slashed to just 3.82Mbps when surfing all at once, meaning around a 5½ hour wait to download a Blu-Ray film.

Imperial and Swansea, both among the top five places to study computer science and IT, did not make it into the top 20 for broadband speeds.

In London, students face a higher cost of living and worse broadband speeds: Queen Mary, SOAS, Goldsmiths, Imperial and Kings are all in the bottom 15 of the broadband league table.

Ewan Taylor Gibson, broadband expert at uSwitch.com, which compiled the research, said: “It turns out that some of our more esteemed institutions for higher education aren’t quite so high achieving when it comes to broadband speeds.

“Students need fast, reliable broadband for research, streaming lectures and submitting work on time – both at home, and on campus.”

Top broadband tips for student households:

  1. Go for fibre. If there’s one household type that’s a prime candidate for a faster fibre connection, it’s typically gadget-reliant students. Fibre deals now start at £10 per month before line rental – very affordable when split five or six ways.
  2. Find a deal that offers unlimited downloads. In multiple-occupancy student homes, laptops, smartphones, games consoles and set top boxes connected to the internet simultaneously put huge strain on your download allowance.
  3. Around the start of the autumn term, you’ll see nine-month deals, tying in with the academic year, targeted at students. The chief advantage of these is that you don’t pay for broadband during the long summer holidays. But don’t rule out 12-month deals as these can actually work out cheaper.
  4. Traffic slows your speed down. Consider researching your dissertation or streaming lectures during the day or in the small hours when your housemates and neighbours are less likely to be online slowing the broadband down. Evening is peak time for online traffic.

There are 0 Comment(s)

If you wish to comment without signing in, click your cursor in the top box and tick the 'Sign in as a guest' box at the bottom.

Big flu jab price hikes this winter: Where’s cheapest if you can’t get a free vaccine?

Pharmacies, supermarkets and health retailers are starting to offer flu jabs ahead of the winter season, but t...

Is now the time to fix your energy deal?

Fixed energy tariffs all but disappeared during the energy crisis. But now they are back with an increasing nu...

Everything you need to know about the pension triple lock

Retirees are braced to receive another bumper state pension pay rise next year due to the triple lock mechanis...

What will happen if rates change

How your finances will be impacted by a rise in interest rates.

Regular Savings Calculator

Small regular contributions can build up nicely over time.

Online Savings Calculator

Work out how your online savings can build over time.

The best student bank accounts in 2023: Cash offers, tastecards and 0% overdrafts

A number of banks are luring in new student customers with cold hard cash this year – while others are compe...

DIY investors: 10 common mistakes to avoid

For those without the help and experience of an adviser, here are 10 common DIY investor mistakes to avoid.

Mortgage down-valuations: Tips to avoid pulling out of a house sale

Down-valuations are on the rise. So, what does it mean for home buyers, and what can you do?

Money Tips of the Week