More than four million UK households have slower broadband than the London Underground, according to new research.
Data collected by Uswitch.com suggests that the average broadband speed in stations and platforms on the Underground is around 19.8Mbps.
In contrast, the research says around 4.4 million homes in the UK are still running older ADSL connections, which can only reach speeds of around 8.8Mbps.
Uswitch.com analysed the WiFi speeds across all 99 station platforms in Zone 1 of the Underground network.
Many London Underground stations offer wireless broadband connections in stations and on platforms.
Overall, 30 of the 99 station platforms tested would qualify as having superfast fibre broadband because they have speeds of over 24Mbps.
According to the research, the Bakerloo line was the fastest line, with average speeds of 24Mbps for downloads.
In contrast, the District line had the slowest average speed of just 5.58Mbps. Those keen on streaming content while out in London should head to Edgware Road, the report says, where download speeds of 49.7Mbps were recorded – fast enough to download a one hour TV show in around 48 seconds.
Westminster, in contrast, was named as the slowest station for download speeds, being clocked at 0.9Mbps – meaning the same one hour programme would take around 40 minutes to download there.
The Northern line branch of Embankment station, Charing Cross, Lambeth North and the Circle line branch of Paddington were named as the other fastest stations.
High Street Kensington, Holborn, Glocester Road and Sloane Square were the other slowest stations.
Nick Baker, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, said: ‘It is amazing that the oldest underground network in the world can provide its users with the means to stay connected and download their favourite programmes whilst travelling.
‘If you’re looking to stay up to date with the latest season of The Witcher, you can head over to the Bakerloo line and have it downloaded in no time.
‘But the fact that the current WiFi on the tube offers faster connections than 30% of broadband-connected homes in the UK receive, just goes to show the extent of the digital divide across the country.’
The Government has pledged to bring gigabit-speed broadband to every home and business in the UK by 2025, with a £5 billion investment for the scheme expected to be announced in this week’s Budget.
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