According to Ofcom Northern Ireland has the fastest boradband speeds in  the UK for anyone subscribing to an ‘ up uo 8 Mbps braodband package.

Ofcom found that a larger proportion of consumers in Northern Ireland are on ‘up to 8Mbps’ deals than in the rest of the UK although the average speed was actually 4.1Mbps compared to  3.9Mbps for others in the UK. Speeds in rural areas of Northern Ireland are much slower.

The Telecomms regulator is commited to encouraging the rollout of better faster speeds for the whole of Northern Ireland. Overall Ofcom found that most broadband customers were not getting the speeds that they are paying for and one fifth of UK consumers on an 8Mbps deal actually receive less than 2 Mbps. Only 9% of users receive more that 6 Mbps.

Ofcom say that the average quality of electrical line in Northern Ireland is of a higher standard and this may be the reason that speeds are higher there.