Which are best places in UK to WFH?

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Wandsworth, Southwark and Kingston upon Hull are amongst some of the best locations across the UK to keep calm and WFH with lockdown now extended for a further three weeks. 

These areas are home to the best download speeds at the cheapest cost, according to new research by GetAgent.co.uk, with Argyll and Bute and Devon amongst some of the worst connected areas.

With the vast majority of us looking at a long stretch of working from home we’re about to find out how good our broadband provider really is, as our whole neighbourhood puts pressure on the service through heightened use during working hours in particular.

While we may be fine streaming our latest binge-worthy Netflix show, many of us might struggle when it comes to those company-wide video conference calls or opening those mile-long spreadsheets. With this in mind, GetAgent.co.uk has looked at where the best and worst areas to work from home-based on the quality of internet connection and cost.  

With an average download speed of 95.1 Mbps and an average monthly cost of 33p per MBps, London’s Wandsworth is the best place to be working from home during a long stint of self-isolation. With an average of 92 Mbps at 34p per Mbps, Southwark also ranks high as a working from home hotspot.

Kingston upon Hull is the best area outside of London at 73.4 Mbps, while Westminster (72.5 Mbps) and Harlow (72.5 Mbps) also rank in the top five.

Rushmoor, Tower Hamlets, Kingston upon Thames, the City of London, York, Richmond upon Thames, Salford, Luton, Waltham Forest and Reading also made the list for best broadband hotspots for working at home.

With less than 25 Mbps and a cost upwards of £1.25 per Mbps, the Shetland and Orkney Islands, Argyll and Bute and Mid and West Devon were amongst some of the worst connected broadband hotspots.

Founder and CEO of GetAgent.co.uk, Colby Short, commented:

“What we’re seeing right now is pretty unprecedented and while the modern age has seen us lean more towards flexible and fluid working solutions to suit an evolving workplace, I don’t think we’ve ever seen the nation as a whole be largely run from the comfort of our front rooms.”

Primary level – nations
Location
Average download speed (MBps – 2019 Q4)
Average monthly cost per MBps
England
40.1
£0.82
Scotland
34.8
£0.96
Northern Ireland
33.8
£0.97
Wales
32.6
£0.99
 
 
 
United Kingdom
35.3
£0.94
 
 
 
Secondary level – English regions
Location
Average download speed (MBps – 2019 Q4)
Average monthly cost per MBps
London
52.38
£0.62
North East
41.41
£0.78
East of England
39.66
£0.84
North West
39.52
£0.82
West Midlands
39.29
£0.83
South East
39.17
£0.83
East Midlands
38.47
£0.85
Yorkshire and the Humber
37.78
£0.89
South West
35.45
£0.93
 
 
 
Rankings – by best speed
Location
Average download speed (MBps – 2019 Q4)
Average monthly cost per MBps
Wandsworth
95.1
£0.33
Southwark
92.0
£0.34
Kingston upon Hull
73.4
£0.43
Westminster
72.5
£0.43
Harlow
72.5
£0.43
Rushmoor
63.7
£0.49
Tower Hamlets
61.3
£0.51
Kingston upon Thames
58.1
£0.54
City of London
57.8
£0.54
York
56.9
£0.55
Richmond upon Thames
56.8
£0.55
Salford
56.8
£0.55
Luton
56.1
£0.56
Waltham Forest
56.0
£0.56
Reading
55.8
£0.56
 
 
 
Rankings – by worst speed
Location
Average download speed (MBps – 2019 Q4)
Average monthly cost per MBps
Shetland Islands
21.0
£1.49
Argyll and Bute
22.0
£1.42
Mid Devon
22.1
£1.42
Orkney Islands
22.2
£1.41
West Devon
23.1
£1.35
Rother
23.5
£1.33
Dumfries and Galloway
23.6
£1.33
Denbighshire
23.7
£1.32
Fermanagh and Omagh
23.9
£1.31
Highland
24.1
£1.30
North Devon
24.3
£1.29
Moray
24.5
£1.28
Mourne and Down
24.5
£1.28
Eden
24.9
£1.26
Tendring
25.0
£1.25
 
 
 
Sources:
 
Average broadband speed
 
Average broadband price
 

 

Chris Price
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