What broadband speed do I need?

In the world of broadband, megabits are abstract. Though most of us understand the more the megabits the faster the broadband, few of us comprehend how that applies to our household. Is 50Mbps enough? What about 100? Or 1,000?

Overview

As a general rule, you'll need a minimum of 20Mbps per broadband user for the needs of a modern household. And you can double this to 40Mbps for each person who's streaming 4K content or gaming regularly. The average broadband speed is now around 73Mbps in the UK according to the most recent Ofcom report in 2024.

Speeds based on activities

Our table compares broadband speed recommendations based on common online activities to help you choose the right package for your needs:

Speeds based on number of users

This table shows the recommended broadband speed based on the number of users in your household. Use this as a reference to ensure everyone can use the internet smoothly.

Small households (1-2 people)

Recommended speed: 30-60Mbps

If you live alone or with one other person who also uses the internet, and the most bandwidth-intensive things you do online are internet shopping and browsing social media, it’s likely that your needs will be met by an entry-level fibre package at around 30-35Mbps, but it really depends on what you're going to be doing online.

ASDL (11Mbps average) is now only offered to you when there is no fibre connection available at your address and only by a small handful of providers, and that's just as well – it is too slow for modern households.

Although you may not need all the speed fibre offers when in a small household with low broadband usage, an entry-level fibre connection is no more expensive than an ADSL service and is therefore a better choice.